1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910791675603321

Autore

Cantor Norman L

Titolo

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

Pubbl/distr/stampa

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

ISBN

1-58901-713-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (383 p.)

Disciplina

393

Soggetti

Dead bodies (Law)

Human body - Law and legislation

Dead - Legal status, laws, etc

Burial laws

Offenses against the person

Sacrilege

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

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.

Sommario/riassunto

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.