Fifth Sense?Follow

Was talking today with some people about death. No Goths present - we were reviewing a number of unexpected infant deaths and a few of the medics and nurses were observing that death is now as much of a tabu as sex was for the Victorians.

As a result, they all felt that our society is artificially protected from seeing death and dying. All creatures see it and have different ways of accepting this, but in the last century we now view it in a mystical and irrational way.

So, out of nothing more than idle (and perchance, morbid) curiosity.



Feel free to share any experiences.

My only observation is that the ones that still bother me are children.
Tears me to pieces every time.

I work in human anatomy. I see pictures and work with cadavers. I've seen plenty.

I work in nursing at a children's hospital, before that cardiology... I've lost count unfortunately.

You know what bothers me almost as much as death... the 9-year-olds with severe mental deficits because an angry relative beat the **** out of them before their first birthday. It amazes me how people think they have a right to snuff out life beyond war and defense.

1 - my dad =(

Filipino + Catholic = lots of open casket funerals complete with photographs and video

Many, many relatives. I don't think I've ever been to a closed coffin funeral. Though I do think my best friend's should have been closed. He was severely torn up from a car wreck and he wouldn't have wanted anyone to see him like that. Oh noooo take that back! An ex boyfriend shot himself, that was closed casket. Thank goodness, because he shot himself in the face. What a waste.

Oh! I've seen plenty working at the hospital, but I don't count those. Worst ever was picking up a crash cart that I found STILL ATTACHED to the dead patient. I refused to disconnect it, came back and the room was quarantined... I'd just been exposed to TB. One other was just a dead body in the hall way. What a nice place to leave him.

Edited, Mar 16th 2007 5:16pm by Katie

No. Should I? Seriously. My father is going to pass away soon. (Complications from a severe stroke).

I don't believe I've ever seen a dead body in person. The closest thing was spreading my father's ashes into the Hudson River.

There is a certain tendency on the part of morticians to go heavy on the rouge in order to simulate - what? good health? life?

I remember hearing someone at my grandfather's coffin sobbing "Don't he look so natural?" and thinking, "He would, I guess, if he were wearing clown shoes."

I've seen four (outside of Phucket tsunami victims), but despite my most sincerest efforts in Necromancy they didn't rise from the dead.

Edited, Mar 16th 2007 4:45pm by Rimesume

That joke will be a reality much sooner than you think...

my thoughts ran along the same lines, Sam. What I remember most was the type of foundation they used on my grandfather was theater makeup: very heavy cake like substance that you mix with water and it covers everything. I used the stuff for years when I did theater. To see it being used on corpses, especially one I knew and loved just freaked me out for some reason. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was wondering why they didnt just go for full effect and use the blue eye shadow every theater production had. I do remember thinking I could have done a much better job picking out a better matching shade, and could have done a much better job at blending. The worst was that they had covered his hands, but only to his wrists. The line of demarcation would have even made Mimi cringe.

I voted already, but now just out of clarification, are we talking seen as in "personalyl been in the presence of a dead body" or "have seen, period, including TV"?

edit: and do skeletons of people and or dead people in church crypts in europe count?

Edited, Mar 16th 2007 7:17pm by Kaolian