# How much edible meat on a human body? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820 "2010-01-28T23:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/81 "2017-04-21T16:54:09Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > _The prohibition of cannibalism is implied by Deut.14:4-5. We can conclude from Gen.9:3 (see Gen.7:21) that cannibalism is also forbidden to Noahides._ The Talmud (Chulin 92b) says that non-Jews accepted on themselves not to sell human flesh in meat markets.\* > > Gen. 9:3-4: > **ג** כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר הוּא-חַי, לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה: כְּיֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת-כֹּל. [SIZE=1] **3** Every moving thing that liveth shall be for food for you; as the green herb have I given you all. **ד\*\*\*\*4** Only flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.[FONT=Courier New][SIZE=2]\* [/SIZE][/SIZE][/FONT] אַךְ-בָּשָׂר, בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ I thought this passage was an admonition against consuming blood in general, which is why kosher animals have to be slaughtered in a way that drains the blood from their bodies. That would seem to be an entirely separate issue from cannibalism. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/82 "2017-04-21T17:29:40Z")
> [@ajdebosco](#): > > During the time of James I, there was a family of cannibals that slaughtered more than they could consume, and tossed the limbs into the sea, preferring only the torso meat. Sawney Beane was the father of the clan, if I recall correctly. Almost certainly a fictional character. No definite evidence of his existence has been found. > **[Sawney Bean](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawney_Bean)** > > Alexander "Sawney" Bean (sometimes also given as Sandy Bane, etc.) is a legendary figure, said to have been the head of a 45-member clan in Scotland in the 16th century that murdered and cannibalised over 1,000 people in 25 years. According to the legend, Bean and his clan members were eventually caught by a search party sent by King James VI, and were executed for their heinous crimes. > The story appeared in The Newgate Calendar, a sensationalised crime catalogue loosely connected with Newgate... ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/83 "2017-04-21T17:47:10Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > I thought this passage was an admonition against consuming blood in general, which is why kosher animals have to be slaughtered in a way that drains the blood from their bodies. That would seem to be an entirely separate issue from cannibalism. Not blood in general, but living flesh. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/84 "2017-04-21T18:12:09Z")
> [@ajdebosco](#): > > Or if you could force feed your human captives a wheelbarrow load of mayonaisse before slaughter, you could make human salad samiches right off the bone!😃 What does it mean that it was not until this post that I went EEEEWW! while reading this thread? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/85 "2017-04-22T02:06:17Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > Does that include people putting their foot in their mouths? That’d be _legions_ of us, I’m sure. . . 😃 [Well, maybe not legions, but. . .](http://nb9.stumbleupon.netdna-cdn.com/Xrh4HsSxtF1pkF8zkH8hTw) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/86 "2017-04-22T11:48:27Z")
Saw a “new” topic, saw that it already had so many replies that it was probably a bump, assumed that it was bumped because of [this](http://www.zmescience.com/science/calories-human-body-cannibalism/). ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/87 "2017-04-22T15:27:58Z")
**How much edible meat on a zombie body?** Not much at all … seven years of decay takes it’s toll … But I agree with **Darren Garrison** … _way_ too many replies to this post … ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/88 "2017-04-22T17:10:18Z")
Some anti-abortion groups claim Planned Parenthood sells human fetuses to Chinese restaurants, but snopes says [FALSE](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/cannibal/fetus.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/89 "2017-04-23T22:04:08Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > I have no idea what a pygarg is. I leave it to the reader. Best guess, something like a white tail deer. Or an anchovy pizza? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/90 "2017-04-23T22:16:51Z")
A soup seems like the best way to get nutrition from your fellow man. Especially in a frozen environment like the Donner party. The Donner party had campfires to survive. Otherwise they would have perished by day 2. One body would stay usable for weeks. Add snow to the pot, salt ,pepper and chunk of meat. Bring to boil. Simmer over a fire for awhile. Not pleasant, but it’s better than starving and becoming an ingredient in your friend’s next meal. 🙂 Does history record if the Donner party got Kuru afterwards? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/91 "2017-04-23T22:51:07Z")
I guess the hardest decision would be deciding when to start using bodies. The natural revulsion would probably make many people wait too long. Until every scrap of food is gone and their bodies are shutting down. A human broth soup might not save the badly malnourished. They would need a better diet to recover. Starting earlier when there’s still a few potatoes and carrots to throw in the pot would be smarter. Using the meat to stretch out the other remaining ingredients for as long as possible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820.md?page=4)