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- Overview
- What happens in decomposition?
- The stages of decomposition
- Why learn all of this?
When someone dies, it may be the end of their journey through this world, but this is not the case with their body. Instead, it will begin the long process of shedding its components. So, what happens when bodies decompose, and why should we learn about it?
For the majority of us, contact with the bodies of people who have passed away begins and ends with the sad occasion of a funeral.
And even then, what we usually get is either an urn with the person’s cremated remains, or a body laid out neatly in a casket, having been carefully prepared for the occasion by a funeral home.
What happens to bodies naturally, after they have had their grand encounter with death? What if they don’t get cremated or choose to become embalmed, so as to delay the process of decomposition and keep them “fit” for viewing for longer?
Under natural conditions — for example, if the body is left out in a natural environment, or placed in a shallow grave — a lifeless body begins to slowly disintegrate, until only the bones are left for future archeologists to dig up.
In this Spotlight, we describe the process of decomposition and explain why it can be useful to understand what happens to the body after death.
Although many of us may think of decomposition as synonymous with putrefaction, it is not. In fact, the decomposition of a human body is a longer process with many stages, of which putrefaction is only one part.
Decomposition is a phenomenon through which the complex organic components of a previously living organism gradually separate into ever simpler elements.
In the words of forensic scientist M. Lee Goff, it is “a continuous process, beginning at the point of death and ending when the body has been reduced to a skeleton.”
There are several signs that a body has begun its process of decomposition, Goff explains. Perhaps the three best-known ones, which are often cited in crime dramas, are livor mortis, rigor mortis, and algor mortis.
Goff also notes that different scientists split the process of decomposition into different numbers of stages, but he advises considering five distinct stages.
The first one, the fresh stage, refers to the body right after death, when few signs of decomposition are visible. Some processes that may begin at this point include greenish discoloration, livor mortis, and tache noire.
Some insects — typically flies — may also arrive at this stage, to lay the eggs from which larvae will later hatch, which will contribute to stripping the skeleton of the surrounding soft tissue.
“As revolting as they may seem, flies and their larvae — maggots — are created perfectly for the job they need to do and many experts call them ‘the unseen undertakers of the world,'” writes pathology technician Carla Valentine in her book.
The egg-laying flies that are attracted to dead bodies, she explains, “are mainly bluebottles from the Calliphora genus,” which will “lay eggs on orifices or wounds only, because the very young larvae need to eat decaying flesh but can’t break the skin to feed.”
Another type of fly, she adds, “doesn’t lay eggs but tiny maggots, which can start consuming flesh immediately. These are descriptively named Sarcophagidae or ‘flesh flies.'”
At this point, you may well be wondering, “How could learning all these details about a body’s process of decomposition after death be of any use to me?”
Well, Doughty explains that in today’s world, thinking about death and discussing any aspects related to it have become taboo.
“We can do our best to push death to the margins, keeping corpses behind stainless-steel doors and tucking the sick and dying in hospital rooms. So masterfully do we hide death, you would almost believe we are the first generation of immortals. But we are not.”
Caitlin Doughty
This implicit ban on death-related topics, she says, can only deepen people’s fear of death — both their own and that of others — and contribute to spreading misinformation about dead bodies as places of contamination.
Which is why, she writes, “[a] reminder of our fallibility is beneficial, and there is much to be gained by bringing back responsible exposure to decomposition.”
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Nov 30, 2022 · The way the body breaks down after death is a gruesome but fascinating process. This process has taught scientists about tracking killers, near-death experiences, and how to cheat death....
Aug 16, 2024 · What happens when you die? From a physical standpoint, death is when the body's vital functions stop, including breathing (respiration), heartbeat, and brain activity. The dying process can happen gradually or it can occur very quickly.
