Stiff

Mary Roach is a delight. Her books are often filed under pop-science, though I think they have more of a historical lean than a scientific one. She picks a topic and then delves into all the interesting little nooks and crannies, resulting in books that are equal parts hilarious and informative. I read Bonk (about the study of human sexuality) ages ago. (Actually, it was the book I was reading when I moved from Colorado to Virginia). Picking up Stiff reminded me that I need to track down the rest of her books.

Stiff is about the historical use of human cadavers. They've mostly been used in medicine, everything from organ transplants to labs for student surgeons to strange, traditional treatments. But there have been other uses as well, particularly in the auto industry and the military as we search for ways to make dangerous things safer. There are also chapters about cannibalism (mostly urban legends, from what I gathered) and the disposal of human bodies.

For the most part, this book was a lot of fun. It's filled with gallows humor, a great reminder to not take this all too seriously. But there were a couple of chapters I had trouble with. One in particular started off as being about organ transplants but took a turn into head transplants. Those experiments were really difficult to read about, as they often involved the callous sacrifice of dogs and monkeys.

Still, this book gave me a lot to think about, particularly in regards to what I want done with my own remains after I die. I've vaguely considered donating my body to science in the past, and now I'm more convinced that that's something I'd like to do. The only problem there is that you cannot both donate your organs and donate your body to science. Science insists on getting the whole package. So maybe composting is something to consider. Although you have to be careful about living monuments, since there's every chance that they could die, too.