HW 55 - Culminating Project - Care of the Dead

        Are Dead Bodies Dangerous? Well according to some such as funeral industry members, dead bodies are a source of contagion to the public and some sort of action should be made in order to "prtoect our health". However in contrast to what funeral industry members think, reporters truly believe that a "regular" dead body is harmless and causes no potential health risks to others(What is meant when the word regular is used is, the body was not contaminated by an infectious disease). Even though this decision of, "are dead bodies dangerous" is for the readers to make one thing to keep in mind while reading this paper is all the past experiences the readers have had on the care of the dead, for example all the funerals the readers have attended.
        Funeral industry members like to "stretch the truth" in order to make there clients happy by giving the body the best funeral possible as well as giving the body the appearence tha it is just sleeping instead of wasting away. " John Q. funeral director says embalming helps prevent the spread of disease. This is just one of the hundreds of little white lies told by funeral industry members. The reality of this is that there has never bein any evidence or any documentation for that matter that shows a human body being dangerous. Another example of this is, the funeral industry members telling their clients how metal caskets are better than wooden caskets because they prevent leakage from dead bodies. However this is not entirely true. Even though metal caskets may take longer then wooden caskets to break down caskets in general are notorous for breaking down and letting air and water fluids,etc. coming into the casket. Also keeping the germs/infected patients completely sealed so that the germs don't spread. Based on the examples given the only things the Funeral industry members could be accused of is being a lier. However everything they do seems to be for the benefit of the living client. It gives the appearence that the funeral industry members believe in safety being first above all.
       Although the thoughts of the funeral industry members is valid, research has shown that bodies are in fact not dangerous. A reporter by the name of David Plotz would disagree with what the funeral industry members think. Plotz believes that "A corpse is only a danger to public health if the victim died of an infectious disease." Which means a regular dead body is really not different from a living body, in the sense that it really isnt more hazardous to other peoples health. In addition to this the bacteria in decomposition is not infact dangerous due to the fact that living people already carry similar bacteria on them. So the only way a dead body could be hazardous is contaminating a underground water supply. Another reporter (wanted to keep his name a secret) also believes that a dead human body isn't dangerous.He like the last reporter, believes that the microorganisms that are involved in decomposition are not the kind that cause disease. And how the types of bacteria that do spread and cause disease to others are most likely already dead because the bacteria can only stay alive on a dead body for a few hours. 
        Looking at both the Funeral industry members and the reporters valid views on  if dead bodies are dangerous, one can definantly find themselves learning something new as well as interesting. For example on a personal level I found myself  learning that the funeral industry is very competative and like other big businesses they want money. Even if that means streatching the truth. I personally after reaserching everything I did about this topic found myself leaning more towards the reporter and believeing that a dead body isn't dangerous. In summary dead bodies to some do bring a potential risk
to others and to others it is really no different from a living body. Everybody is entitled to having there own opinion but just remember about your own personal past experience with the care of the dead before making that decision. 
Citations:
- "Dead Bodies and Disease: The “Danger” That Doesn’t Exist." http://www.funerals.org/frequently-asked-questions/environment/142-embalming-myths-facts. Funeral Consumers Alliance, 01 5 2011. Web. 17 May 2011. 
- Plotz , David . "Are Dead Bodies Dangerous?." Slate . The Slate Group, 23 8 1999. Web. 17 May 2011.