The Body Farm: Scientific Study of the After Death

They say that dead men tell no tales. But there is one place where dead men not only tell tales, they help to write text books, train police and open up a whole world of forensic study.

Officially, these dead men live, or well, decompose in a place called Forensic Anthropology Center located in Knoxville, TN. This place is also known as The Body Farm or Death's Acre.

As much as we might not like to hear about it, there is a scientific need for watching the way a body decomposes under various conditions. The problem is that nobody really wants to have a half rotted body hanging around while waiting to find out what happens to it while it is rotting.

Enter the Forensic Anthropology Center.

The Forensic Anthropology Center started as just a little patch of land where a single body, an elderly man, was left to fully decompose. The scientists who observed it were able to fully document the stages of decomposition. Beyond that, they could document when certain stages of decomposition occurred. Being able to document this kind of information meant that they could more accurately pinpoint time of death in the cases where a badly decomposed body had been found.

But, as we sadly know, bodies don't always decompose under the best conditions. People die or are killed and left to rot in cars, in shallow graves, underwater, inside trunks and wherever else it might be convenient to dump an inconveniently dead body.

The Body Farm slowly expanded the study of the process of human decomposition. Now in a compound that covers a large swath of land, forensic anthropologists observe the after deaths of dozens of bodies at a time. Each of these bodies are put out in various conditions in order to observe how decomposition progresses under different conditions.

The question is, at this point, is where does the Body Farm get all of its participants? They are volunteers, mostly. You too can donate your body to the Body Farm, but just take note that unless you live within a reasonable distance of Knoxville, TN, your family will be responsible for the transportation of your body to the Body Farm.

On one hand, it might be kind of creepy to think of purposely leaving your body to decompose in the elements, but on the other hand, it is not more creepy than the fact that it could be following the same process in a seal and buried box. At least at the Body Farm, the process your body is destined to go through anyway can be of some use to society.

Necrophilia: Loving the Dead

If there is one thing more scary than the thought of dying, it's the thought that somebody might sexual molest your body after your dead. As much as we might not like to think about this, it does happen. There are people in this world that find interaction with a corpse to be sexually gratifying. These people are called necrophiliacs.

Most of the time, when people think of necrophilia, they think of someone actually having intercourse with a corpse, but the true meaning of necrophilia is getting sexual pleasure from a corpse. This does not mean the person actually has to have sex with the body in order to be considered a necrophiliac. Some necrophiliacs get their erotic pleasure by simply touching a corpse or even just fantasizing about a corpse. But, yes, there are necrophiliacs who feel need to have sex with a corpse in order to get their needed erotic fulfillment. There are also necrophiliacs that get their pleasure from the mutilation of dead bodies, those these people tend to have issues beyond the necrophilia.

Psychologist tend to agree that true necrophilia is a compulsion, something that cannot be helped. They theorize that people affected by true necrophilia have a need to find a partner who is guaranteed not to reject them or resist them in any way.

But, that being said, psychologists also say that there is a difference between a real necrophiliac and a pseudonecrophiliac. Pseudonecrophilia happens when someone has a spontaneous sexual interaction with a corpse without a necrophilia fantasy attached to the action. It frequently happens when someone is in a state of shock or denial, for example, such as when they refuse to believe a spouse has died and they think they are interacting with a still living person.

Not surprisingly, it has been found that many necrophiliacs are drawn to careers that would give them access to the dead. This does not mean that all people who care for the dead are necrophiliacs, but rather those who suffer from necrophilia are more likely to work in a death care industry.

While the idea of necrophilia is scary or creepy to most of us, necrophiliacs will be the first to say that they are simply unable to keep from performing the act. It can be a source of deep shame and guilt. Today, many necrophiliacs are coming to terms with their sexuality, even forming out reach groups or speaking with the public about their problem. Some see their sexual preference as no different than someone who prefers someone of the same sex.

All the same, I think I would just rather not be the chosen amorous target of a necrophiliac when I die. It's just not something I would want to say yes to. Then again, since I would be dead, it would be kind of hard to say no as well.

Sin Eaters - Making a Meal of the Misdeeds of the Dead

One of the most consistent parts of religion is the concept of sin or, at the very least, crossing a god. And with the concept of sin comes the concept of being forgiven for our sins and trespasses.

One particular tradition that rose out of the desire to have someone, anyone, take your sins away was the Celtic idea of the sin eater.

The idea behind the sin eater was that sin could be transferred from one person to another through a ritualistic act.

When a person died and their sins had not been forgiven (which happens when death pops up unexpectedly, which happens a lot), a sacrificial offering would be laid out on the body of the deceased. Someone would sent to fetch the local sin eater. The sin eater would come to the house where the dead person was laid out and eat the food that had been placed on the corpse.

The food represented the sins of the deceased person. When the sin eater ate the food laid out, he accepted responsibility for the sins of the recently departed. In many villages, this person was an essential part of the death process. It was inconceivable to allow someone to go to judgment with the sins of their life hanging on their soul.

Oddly enough, while the sin eater was essential to these villages, the sin eater was regarded as an abhorrence, a malady on the village. The villagers would see in this person someone who held the sins of dozens of people. This person was frequently shunned and was not even looked at for fear that some of his enormous sin would rub off through even the most casual interaction.

This view of sin eaters was not helped by the fact that the Catholic Church did not look kindly on people who infringed on its markets. One of those markets was selling that absolution of souls. The Catholic Church would ask for (which meant required) a substantial tithe in order from a persons soul to be absolved. It certainly would not do to have competition in this area from someone that only asked for a decent meal in exchange for giving someone eternal forgiveness.

The practice of sin eating was most practiced in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe, especially in England and Ireland. The practice continued, though far declined, into the early 20th century.
Could a man really take responsibility for his fellow man's (or woman's) evils? One may never know. But at least it made the dead person's family feel better about where the person would end up after death.