# A bit of Gruesome research **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bit-of-gruesome-research/80226 "2001-09-07T13:46:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bit-of-gruesome-research/80226/1 "2001-09-07T13:46:14Z")
I need help with something that is a little on the morbid side. I’m attempting to do some research for a short story and I need to know what happens to a body after death. I need to know the outer and inner manifestations of the decomposition process. Also I need information on the various, and detailed, physical stages of decomposition under the following conditions: 1. A Body in during a humid Summer 2. A body during a Dry Winter 3. A Body during Dry or temperate weather 4. A body that has been prepared by a mortician 5. and lastly the most Ideal way to preserve a body in a typical urban setting, with cheap easily accessible materials I know this sounds strange but hopefully this will help the story I’m working on. Any help would be appreciated, and will be properly acknowledge in case of publication. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bit-of-gruesome-research/80226/2 "2001-09-07T13:54:50Z")
I researxched this stuff for my own book. There’s plenty of stuff out there. Hie thee to a library and look up books on Forensic Science. A big city library or a medical school library would be a good bet, because your home town library probably won’t have much on this. Unfortunately, I can’t recall any of the titles right now, but they’re easy enough to find. One of the guys at the Roadside America site ([www.roadsideamerica.com](http://www.roadsideamerica.com) ) evidently wrote a book on this topic, too. I have no idea why, and I’m afraid to ask. If you go to the “bookstore” at that site you’ll see it. If you really want information, and strange stories, try to get in touch with a coroner’s office. As I noted in the tntro to my own book, though, these people try to discourage the attentions of the morbid – they probably get way too many freaks. So read up on it a lot, and be ready to show that you are a serious student. There’s also some info on this in Paul Barber’s excellent book **Vampires, Burial, and Death** ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bit-of-gruesome-research/80226/3 "2001-09-07T16:31:33Z")
Another good book is _[Dead Men Do Tell Tales](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385479689/qid=999880069/sr=1-1/ref=sc_b_1/104-5552853-6507937)_ by William Maples, a forensic anthropologist. He mostly talks about bones, but he goes into great detail about decomposition of the soft tissues, cremation, and the case of a body dumped in a septic tank. (we really need a “nauseous” smilie around here) ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bit-of-gruesome-research/80226/4 "2001-09-07T16:44:31Z")
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has a facility to answer exactly this question. It’s nicknamed the Body Farm, after a Patricia Cornwell novel that centered on it. They were good enough to publish a website of books that you may find of interest. It can be found [here](http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop/info.htm). I’ve read several, and they’re quite good. Robin ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bit-of-gruesome-research/80226/5 "2001-09-07T19:26:35Z")
Thanks to all who responded the information is quite useful.