New idea in mortuary science: Dissolving bodies with lye

[flashl]

CONCORD, N.H. - Since they first walked the planet, humans have either buried or burned their dead. Now a new option is generating interest — dissolving bodies in lye and flushing the brownish, syrupy residue down the drain.

The process is called alkaline hydrolysis and was developed in this country 16 years ago to get rid of animal carcasses. It uses lye, 300-degree heat and 60 pounds of pressure per square inch to destroy bodies in big stainless-steel cylinders that are similar to pressure cookers.

No funeral homes in the U.S. — or anywhere else in the world, as far as the equipment manufacturer knows — offer it. In fact, only two U.S. medical centers use it on human bodies, and only on cadavers donated for research.

But because of its environmental advantages, some in the funeral industry say it could someday rival burial and cremation.

Yahoo

[rucky]

1. I finally found a recession-proof industry to invest in!

[Dead_Parrot]

2. Great. Lutefisk meets Soylent Green.

You've got to warn everyone and tell them! It's made from people! Well, mostly people.
(With appologies to Terry Pratchett & Harry Harrison)

[phantom power]

18. Mmm. Serve with milk/flour gravy.

It says something about the psychology of us Swedes, that this was considered a festive dish.

:puke:

[Dead_Parrot]

19. I think that's a translation error

It's supposed to be "Festered Fish".
:evilgrin:

[XemaSab]

23. Ya shore.

Now I know how to give Uncle Ole from Duluth a good send-off. :P

[LeftinOH]

3. Techically, an OK idea.. but its completely unsentimental; fire (cremation) has

loaded symbolism in human history.. but being reduced to a liquid-y goop that gets poured down the drain does not.

[Thor_MN]

11. I don't know, going out in a "warm liquid goo" phase

would kind of bookend life, if you think about it...

[phantom power]

20. Yeah, we're mostly warm liquid goo when we're alive too.

[GliderGuider]

4. I prefer composting

Reduce, reuse and recycle yourself

Biologist Susanne Wiigh-Masak of Sweden hopes to give the cremation business some stiff competition by developing ways to compost the human body. Wiigh-Masak’s solution is to compost human remains by using liquid nitrogen to freeze and remove water from the body. The body disintegrates into an odourless dust and is placed in a biodegradable container. She has conducted tests on pigs and cows and claims that the compost makes for good potting soil. But how many of us want to use grandma to fertilize our vegetable garden?

I saw Wiiggh-Masak speak at a conference a couple of years ago, following the woman who was the head of an American cryogenics company specializing in freezing heads in liquid nitrogen for possible later revival. Compared to her proposal to "donate your body to science fiction", the idea of being composted back into the web of life was tremendously humane and appealing.

[Dead_Parrot]

5. Odd title

Wouldn't it be easier to get someone else to do it?
:silly:

[GliderGuider]

6. I'm starting on myself now

I compost the bits that fall off as I age. I just got my balls back from my ex-partner, so they're next... :silly:

[Dead_Parrot]

9. !

:spray:

[madokie]

8. My wish is to cremate my old stinking ass and then to put the ashes in the ground

and plant a tree upon them. I always enjoyed siting in a tree as a child so as a new member of the dead I hope to have a limb or two to rest my spirit on like I used to do with my bones

[kristopher]

10. I want my cremains pressed in 130 gram Frisbees.

Mix me with plastic and pass me out to my friends and loved ones.

Let the dog chew me up...

[GliderGuider]

12. I told my father about the idea

My father has a pear orchard that he loves, and he makes an exceptional champagne from the excess fruit. I told him when he died his kids would compost him and spread him in the orchard. Then we would harvest the pears, make the wine, and market it as "Père Champagne".

He loved the idea :-)

[madokie]

15. If I have my way about it there won't be a grave with my remains in it

We have a couple pear trees and they have quarter sized pears already. Pear Champagne sounds good. I tried making wine once but all I got for my efforts was vinegar

[Dead_Parrot]

16. Probably dirty equipment

Heat the pulp to a simmer to kill the 'extras', sterilise everything (you don't need to go on a chemical frenzy, boiling water will do if you if you get the timing right), and get the yeast fired up in a pint of luke-warm sugar solution. Drop the pulp with boiled water into the barrel when it's cool enough, chuck the yeast in and pray (and if you don't have an air trap, get one).

(I'd made a few gallons of vinegar in my time. ;))

[Berry Cool]

21. That kind of reminds me of what Keith Richards said about snorting his dad's ashes

which he now says he didn't really do, but jeez...

[Dead_Parrot]

14. I'm going for the turned-into-diamond approach

I just like the idea of women fighting over me when I'm 300.

(Narcissus? Who he?)

[hlthe2b]

7. 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" versus "humankind to sewage"

Yeah, I'd say it has an image problem.... :eyes:

[Thor_MN]

13. I don't know, the ashes to ashes bit never made sense to me

Now granted, I don't have kids, and it's been a bit since I my last relationship (so the dust part might make sense), but I don't recall there being any ashes involved in the creation of life. Then again, I may doing it wrong, and the non-use of ashes is why I don't have kids...

See my post 11 above for an image that might work at some level.

[Javaman]

17. "brownish, syrupy residue down the drain"

yeah, really environmenally friendly.

I'm donating my organs. Whatever is left over gets buried and will have a fruit bearing tree planted on top.

[Berry Cool]

22. Death by Drano?

No thanks, give me the ashes and the tree planting any day.

[XemaSab]

24. This is probably TMI

but this article has given me new insight into the "caramel" that coated the inside of the freezer after the power went out.

Collecting skulls seemed like such an INNOCENT hobby at one time, but now I know FAR too much... :cry: