Stiff (Post #2 pgs. 148-221)

While continuing to use humor and imagery Mary Roach goes on to include countless amounts of factual evidence, comparisons, and some irony to describe even more uses of the human cadaver, and its contributions to the field of medicine, science, and even religion. Roach's humor has been ever present throughout the chapters of Stiff, but the vast amount of factual evidence she supplies in the text only continues to making her seem more credible. Roach quotes research project upon project, and quote upon quote when she explains the quest of many scientist to prove the authenticity "Shroud of Turin", "And this spot is precisely where the shrowd..."(p.160), Pierre Barbet. Roach also quotes some of the research projects from the early stages of head transplants; some being that of Vladimir Demikhov and his "Experimental Transplantation of Vital Organs" and Charles Guthrie's "Blood Vessel Surgery and Its Applications." Despite the seriousness of many cadaver uses, Roach can't help but use, either intentionally or unintentionally, humor with some of the comparisons, such as a simile, she makes. In one instance we find a cadaver being dissected and Roach remarks, "He's unzipping her like a parka."(p.169). Furthermore, Roach divulges into a bit of irony when she discusses the concepts of a "beating heart cadaver" who is legally dead (brain dead), but the body is able to thrive as to donate functioning organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys.

Discussion Questions:
Clarification: On pg. 159 Roach talks about how Barbet experimented with bodies as he constructed his own crucifix, was the body he experimented with donated or even a cadaver, or could he have used live humans like Zugibe?
Application: Why are people so reluctant to proceed with sometime necessary head transplants, that would benefit others?

Stiff (Post #1 pgs.74-147)

Through the use of some humor, vivid imagery, and anecdotes Mary Roach writes in Stiff about how the cadaver is used for more than just the medical and anatomical research that she had previously mentioned andwhat many people would hope to donate their bodies and organs to. Rather than using cadavers for dissection purposes, a number of them can be and are used in place of crash test dummies to further promote knowledge of car safety, and most notably how much damage on impact can be done to the human body. Roach describes with humor the many things that a cadaver or "decedent" is unable to do such as, "They can't play water polo, or lace up their boots, or maximze their market share. They can't tell a joke, and they can't dance for beans." However in telling of the many things cadavers are unable to do, Roach also clarifies their ability to endure substantial amounts of pain, thus putting them in better postions for crash safety than dummies and live humans. Roach explores the causes of airplane crashes when she explains how the bodily remains of the deceased unwittingly tell tales of the crash. Roach describes being in contact with a colleague who used reports from autopsies to determine the causes of airplane crashes from the physical features of "survivors". Roach recalls being in the office with her colleague and probing through countless reports and photographs of people from a particular plane crash, and listening to her colleague as he came up with possible explanations and theories for the crash. Through several anecdotes Roach begins to explain how research regarding bullets to be used in war and by police officers were tested, and how cadavers gradually replaced animals like pigs that were once used for the tests.

Discussion Questions:
Clarification: Did Roach do the actual shooting of the "thigh", when she reported on the testing of the bullets that were not meant kill the opponent in battle?
Application: Do you think that people consider respect or reverence for themselves when they donate their bodies to medical or science research?