# Burying People... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521 "2007-11-23T18:00:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521/1 "2007-11-23T18:00:39Z")
…with prosthetics. Do they bury people with artificial legs, arms etc. intact or are they recycled? (The prosthetics, not the people) Also, glass eyes. Wouldn’t it be weird if someone exhumed a body and had that eye staring at them upon opening the casket? False teeth of course couldn’t be recycled, but are people buried with them in? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521/2 "2007-11-23T18:13:27Z")
My mother was buried with her false teeth, it gave her a more natural look for viewing. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2007, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521/3 "2007-11-23T19:57:35Z")
[QUOTE=Jake] Wouldn’t it be weird if someone exhumed a body and had that eye staring at them upon opening the casket? [/QUOTE] I think people who exhume bodies are prepared for just about anything. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521/4 "2007-11-23T20:19:48Z")
This is just my educated guess, but I would assume the prosthetics are buried with them. My 9yro nephew lost his leg to cancer, and goes to a specialist every year or so for prosthetic fitting. It is a very precise process. Considering how very individual each prosthetic is, I wouldn’t think it could be recycled to fit anyone like, say, shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521/5 "2007-11-23T20:39:46Z")
All I can tell you is that shortly before the viewing (one hour before the funeral) for my grandmother, the funeral director checked with the family about whether we wanted her buried with any jewelry she had on. (Yes, she had a pair of earrings and a watch, those were buried with her). He also confirmed that the stuffed animal was to be buried with her, and offered to remove her glasses and donate them to the Lions Club who would donate them to someone who could use them. No mention was made of dentures–which I know she had in life. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521/6 "2007-11-24T23:25:03Z")
[QUOTE=Ruffian] This is just my educated guess, but I would assume the prosthetics are buried with them. My 9yro nephew lost his leg to cancer, and goes to a specialist every year or so for prosthetic fitting. It is a very precise process. Considering how very individual each prosthetic is, I wouldn’t think it could be recycled to fit anyone like, say, shoes. [/QUOTE] Thanks, **Ruffian** , that isn’t something I thought about. Individual charistics of the prothetics definitely would preclude transfer to another. Too bad though. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521/7 "2007-11-24T23:31:40Z")
[QUOTE=Ruffian] This is just my educated guess, but I would assume the prosthetics are buried with them. My 9yro nephew lost his leg to cancer, and goes to a specialist every year or so for prosthetic fitting. It is a very precise process. Considering how very individual each prosthetic is, I wouldn’t think it could be recycled to fit anyone like, say, shoes. [/QUOTE] Thanks, **Ruffian** , this isn’t something I thought about. Individual characteristics of the prosthetics themselves definitely would preclude transfer to another patient. Too bad though. ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521/8 "2007-11-25T01:04:20Z")
I think pacemakers can be removed, recalibrated for dog or cat hearts, and used to help sick pets. ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-people/427521/9 "2007-11-25T02:05:54Z")
My father’s eyeglasses were donated to the Lion’s Club, but I believe his partial dentures were buried along with him. He only had maybe three or four false teeth attached to this wire-like thingy, so I’m pretty sure nobody else could have used it.