Dead Bodies Research Paper

Dealing with Dead Bodies: It Is Something You Have To Think About Once the SHTF

It may be something you have to deal with during any crisis, and let us all hope it is not someone you know, or is a family member. That being said, there are precautions that you will have to take to protect yourself against the spread of diseases caused by dead bodies. There will be other considerations, as well, when you have to deal with dead bodies during a calamity. Additionally, you do have to deal with the psychological effects on you and others.

First, How Did They Die

Scavengers, insects, and diseases are a major concern, not to mention the actual cause of death. Was it murder, or accident or were there biological contaminates to worry about? In other

There were not as many, if any at all, organized services such as there is today, so every person from children on up faced the task of dealing with dead bodies.

There of course, are several reasons for doing it quickly as you can imagine, so we will not needlessly become graphic here. The point is bodies start decomposing immediately after death.

Most pathogens require a living host, so disease is not as big of a concern, but still a concern nonetheless, if the person has been dead for a week let's say. The pathogens find either a new host after the body dies or they die with the host body. Bodies can of course, contaminate water sources and during the time of the Black Death (bubonic plague) centuries ago dead bodies were used as weapons. The bodies were sometime catapulted over castle walls or left close to encampments of opposing forces to infect the armies.

Corpses have to be handled carefully, because the risk of infectious disease is there for days after the body dies.

Wear gloves, rubber boots, face protection and body protection. The corpses cannot sneeze or cough but you still want your eyes, nose, and mouth protected, and you certainly do not want any bodily fluids making contact with any cuts or abrasions on your

It may come down to just you in some cases, dealing with dead neighbors and strangers near or on your own property.

It takes several hours and roughly 2000° F to reduce a body to ashes. The ability to dispose of a body in this manner is not something you would likely have in a SHTF scenario. Simply setting a house on fire with bodies inside is not enough. The corpse after the fire would still have to be dealt with.

Cremation is now an accepted practice in many cultures, which has actually been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. At one time in Europe it was done in the hopes of stopping the spread of diseases.

Burial in the ground is the best option, while at the same time, the most difficult to accomplish. One or even two bodies would not be a problem, but dozens would be, because either you would have to dig a mass grave, or individual ones. Either way the task would be monumental.

Family members may have something to say about how you handle the body of their loved ones. Is there any family alive, who are the dead people, and should you try to mark the graves and try to identify them? No one can answer these questions now. We simply do not know what we would