Comments on: First Person: Life at the Morgue

By: Jacket

Jacket — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:54:43 +0000

As a current student in Funeral Directing and Embalming, I may be able to answer some questions:
-A body will stay in a morgue or funeral home anywhere from a couple hours to a couple months (it depends on the needs of the family; that is, when a viewing is requested, how long it will take for family to travel to the location of the service, or even how long it takes to obtain proper documentation for the body to be shipped somewhere else)
-The embalming process starts as soon as permission is obtained from a person of authority
-It is not possible to observe an autopsy unless you are a student in pathology, etc.

Don’t be grossed out when you drink tap water again. Think about it this way, everything that is washed down the drain in a funeral home has been treated by disinfectants and following that is treatment at a sewage facility. When you go to the bathroom, do you first disinfect what you are flushing down the toilet?

To get into the profession, you must go to school for Funeral Services. There you will learn anatomy and physiology, pathology, microbiology, thanatochemistry, embalming, funeral directing, psychology, restorative arts, business studies, etc. It is a very rewarding journey!

By: Chelsey

Chelsey — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:35:34 +0000

What exactly must one do in order to obtain this profession? I’ve got a friend interested in it and he’s wondering about THAT. Another write-up maybe? This article is amazing by the way.

By: Carly

Carly — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:03:41 +0000

I am grossed out and never want to drink tap water again. I will think of this when I shower tonight! It was nicely written and informative, so I am not “killing the messenger.”

By: N�h Ark

N�h Ark — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:42:26 +0000

I read rigor mortis is only a temporary effect setting in a few hours immediately after death; if I remember correctly due to the lactic acid build up from anaerobic metabolism of the muscle cells. Kinda like a really bad muscle cramp. The muscles relax again sometime after that, in a day or so, when real decomposition starts. Although things vary alot depending on the ambient environment where the body is.

How long does a body stay in the morgue or funeral home before being buried or cremated? And typically when does the embalming process start, few hours after death, longer?

Is it possible to observe an autopsy?