# Are hospital morgues really located on the ground floor?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 19, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585 "2010-04-19T01:27:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/21 "2010-04-19T22:34:21Z")
I worked for thirteen years in one hospital where the morgue was on the first floor, tucked anonymously back behind the lab and pathology. It had direct elevator access from a service elevator that had doors on both sides and would only open onto the morgue if a special key was inserted (otherwise, you got off onto a small lobby where the employees clocked in.)
This hospital had a really small basement that was taken up mostly by central supply. It’s the only one I’ve ever worked in where the morgue was not in the basement. This particular hospital is actually a hotel now, owned and operated by St. Louis University! I wouldn’t stay in it for all the money in the world…
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### Author:  [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/22 "2010-04-20T03:35:47Z")
In the hospital where I work, it’s in the basement. The only sign on the door is the biohazard sign.
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2010, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/23 "2010-04-20T10:46:29Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#):
>
> The morgue is frequently located in the basement, because that is an effective place for it.
Great, now you’re making me think “laundry chute” :eek:
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### Author:  [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/24 "2010-04-20T10:50:44Z")
> [@GythaOgg](#):
>
> This hospital had a really small basement that was taken up mostly by central supply. It’s the only one I’ve ever worked in where the morgue was not in the basement. This particular hospital is actually a hotel now, owned and operated by St. Louis University! I wouldn’t stay in it for all the money in the world…
… that’s scary.
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### Author:  [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/25 "2010-04-20T14:42:53Z")
> [@GythaOgg](#):
>
> I worked for thirteen years in one hospital where the morgue was on the first floor, tucked anonymously back behind the lab and pathology. It had direct elevator access from a service elevator that had doors on both sides and would only open onto the morgue if a special key was inserted (otherwise, you got off onto a small lobby where the employees clocked in.)
>
> This hospital had a really small basement that was taken up mostly by central supply. It’s the only one I’ve ever worked in where the morgue was not in the basement. This particular hospital is actually a hotel now, owned and operated by St. Louis University! I wouldn’t stay in it for all the money in the world…
That’s interesting. I’m somewhat familiar with St. Louis. What is the hotel’s name?
Going by the answers in this thread, I have to pay more attention the next time I’m in a hosipital (hopefully alive).
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/26 "2010-04-20T16:13:39Z")
I worked in two hospitals, and both of them the morgue was in the basement and was, just as another poster said, marked by a room number.
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### Author:  [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/27 "2010-04-20T20:55:23Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#):
>
> That’s interesting. I’m somewhat familiar with St. Louis. What is the hotel’s name?
>
> Going by the answers in this thread, I have to pay more attention the next time I’m in a hosipital (hopefully alive).
The name of the hotel is [Water Tower Inn.](http://www.slu.edu/x27017.xml) It’s the former Incarnate Word Hospital (it also went by the names Lafayette-Grand Hospital and Compton Heights Hospital, depending on who owned it at the time) at Highway 44 and Grand, directly across the highway from the Compton Heights reservoir and water tower.
It always was a small neighborhood hospital serving The Hill area mostly. It ran about 200 beds at maximum capacity and it was never really full. It was independent when I started work there in 1985, and much later it was bought by the Deaconess folks and then by Tenet, who closed it rather than maintain it. It was a good place to work when it was still doing well.
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### Author:  [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/28 "2010-04-21T18:26:59Z")
> [@Minnie\_Luna](#):
>
> …It has also been very inconspicuous and off the beaten path, if there was a sign, it said “Pathology” or “Employees Only”…
That’s just silly. It would have to be a huge hospital with tons of staff to justify having a morgue for employees only.
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### Author:  [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/29 "2010-04-21T19:52:13Z")
> [@Duckster](#):
>
> With Hilts regularly in one, that doesn’t leave much room for everyone else.
hardy ha ha!
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### Author:  [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/30 "2010-04-21T20:31:16Z")
First floor, back hallway where patients and visitors don’t normally go. I don’t remember how the room is marked.
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### Author:  [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/31 "2010-04-21T22:30:09Z")
When I went to University, the hospital there had the morgue on the first basement level. It was clearly indicated by the signs on that level that tell you where everything is.
Why wouldn’t you stay in a hotel that used to be a hospital? Because people died there? I bet people have died in many of the hotels you’ve stayed in, if you’ve ever stayed in a large one. There is an apartment condo complex in the city where I live that used to be a hospital.
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### Author:  [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/32 "2010-04-22T00:53:30Z")
> [@MrSquishy](#):
>
> When I went to University, the hospital there had the morgue on the first basement level. It was clearly indicated by the signs on that level that tell you where everything is.
>
> Why wouldn’t you stay in a hotel that used to be a hospital? Because people died there? I bet people have died in many of the hotels you’ve stayed in, if you’ve ever stayed in a large one. There is an apartment condo complex in the city where I live that used to be a hospital.
Because the hospital in question is one I used to work at. And I can tell you exactly what body substances ended up where, where in the kitchen the night shift supervisor saw several fat rats strolling casually around, in which patient room a colleague of mine nearly got shot by a man on a rooftop across the way who was trying to target his ex-wife who was in for minor surgery, etc etc. Too many long shifts spent in the place, basically…and no desire to go back to that or remember too much of it.
During the period I went to Southeast Missouri State University, one of the dorms was the old St. Francis Hospital, which had been replaced by a newer building across town. I had friends who lived there and occasionally I visited. It was an old red-brick building in the ‘St. Elsewhere’ vein, with wide terrazzo hallways that echoed and the call light system still in place. There were still iron lungs in storage in the attic area. The University had done almost nothing to remodel or rehab and had taken it over lock, stock and barrel. The morgue was known to be a shut-off area that was back of the cafeteria in the basement. This led to a lot of jokes about the food…typical college humor.
I hear it’s since been torn down. I’m not too surprised, there was no maintenance being done on the place.
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### Author:  [@swandito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swandito)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/33 "2010-12-16T14:04:40Z")
Not at all. In indonesia, most hospital commonly places the morgue at the rear side or back end of hospital area, but there’s an access to the roadway. The morgues is on one buliding, separated with other buildings.
Morgue is usualy marked with written ‘Kamar Mayat’, ‘Kamar Jenazah’, or ‘Ruang Jenazah’. It written with variation of fontsize but mostly placed above it doorgate.
But, since modernization of era, where international hospital era comes to Indonesia, it places the morgue in the basement.
So what’s the similar between placed in the back end with in the lower ground?
The similar is those area are almost zero from people activity or more. Consequently, morgue has to have own street/access to the outside as commuter vehicles like coroner or hearse.
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### Author:  [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/34 "2010-12-16T14:22:02Z")
> [@MrSquishy](#):
>
> …
> Why wouldn’t you stay in a hotel that used to be a hospital? Because people died there? …
No. Because it’s haunted.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/35 "2010-12-16T14:37:35Z")
All of the morgues I’ve seen were in the basement. Unfortunately so were the computer facilities, which is why I got to be in hospital basements. In the older hospitals, the computer rooms had to be put where there was available space. I assume morgues were around before computers, and considered when the hospital was built, so there must be better reasons for having the morgues there.
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### Author:  [@AbloyProtec](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbloyProtec)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/36 "2010-12-16T14:40:36Z")
I recently interviewed for a job at a hospital for a maintenance-related position. The head of the department was interviewing me and was giving me the tour of the entire engineering department which was located in the basement. The last stop of the tour was my soon-to-be office. Next to my office was an unmarked door. I asked him, “Who’s office is that?” and was told, “That’s the rear entrance of the morgue.”
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/37 "2010-12-16T14:52:06Z")
> [@J\_Cubed](#):
>
> At the University of Chicago, the morgue is in the basement, not far from the cafeteria. I would occasionally head down for lunch and walk by someone pushing a gurney with a black bag on it and a security officer following. I have no proof, but always assumed that the cafeteria and morgue shared their refrigeration infrastructure.
Soylent Green is people!!! :eek:
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/38 "2010-12-16T16:23:31Z")
> [@swandito](#):
>
> Not at all. In indonesia, most hospital commonly places the morgue at the rear side or back end of hospital area, but there’s an access to the roadway. The morgues is on one buliding, separated with other buildings.
>
> Morgue is usualy marked with written ‘Kamar Mayat’, ‘Kamar Jenazah’, or ‘Ruang Jenazah’. It written with variation of fontsize but mostly placed above it doorgate.
>
> But, since modernization of era, where international hospital era comes to Indonesia, it places the morgue in the basement.
>
> So what’s the similar between placed in the back end with in the lower ground?
>
> The similar is those area are almost zero from people activity or more. Consequently, morgue has to have own street/access to the outside as commuter vehicles like coroner or hearse.
Welcome, **swandito**! Nice to have you here. It’s always interesting to have a perspective from a different part of the world.
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/39 "2010-12-16T18:27:02Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#):
>
> …Basements are at a more stable temperature, making it easier for the coolers to keep bodies cooled…
Underground parking garages at or near hospitals are frequently designated as “emergency morgues” in case of a diaster or epidemic.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hospital-morgues-really-located-on-the-ground-floor/536585/40 "2010-12-17T23:35:01Z")
Apropos of this thread, here’s a link to [url =“http: [//www.usaplaza.com/scripts/wcom\_producttree.asp?StoreID=1905](https://www.usaplaza.com/scripts/wcom_producttree.asp?StoreID=1905)”]a site offering unique gifts (not for this Xmas, unfortunately, but for future occasions, it appears).
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