After we die : the life and times of the human cadaver / Norman L. Cantor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cantor, Norman L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dead bodies (Law).

Human body--Law and legislation.

Human body.

Dead--Legal status, laws, etc.

Dead.

Burial laws.

Offenses against the person.

Sacrilege.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (383 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Georgetown University Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This volume chronicles not only a human corpse's physical state but also its legal and moral status, including what rights, if any, the corpse possesses. The author argues that a corpse maintains a "quasi-human status" granting it certain protected rights-both legal and moral. One of a corpse's purported rights is to have its predecessor's disposal choices upheld. This work reviews unconventional ways in which a person can extend a personal legacy via their corpse's role in medical education, scientific research, or tissue transplantation. The author outlines the limits that post-mortem "human dignity" poses upon disposal options, particularly the use of a cadaver or its parts in educational or artistic displays. Contemporary illustrations of these complex issues abound.

Contents:

When does a person become a corpse?

The human nature of the corpse

The legal status of the post living : do corpses have rights?

Decomposition of the body and efforts to slow its disintegration

Final disposal of human remains

Eternal preservation of the deceased : literally and figuratively

The cadaver as supplier of used body parts

The cadaver as teacher, research subject, or forensic witness

The cadaver as parent

Body snatching, then and now

Desecration of human remains

Public display and the dignity of human remains

Corpses are a lot like you and me, only different.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781589017139

1589017137

OCLC:

699513541