I watched the movie "Strange Island 13" today. Is there really a corpse farm called 13 in American parks?

The corpse farm is an experimental site dedicated to studying the decomposition of corpses. Bodies mainly come from unclaimed and donated bodies. Three universities in the United States believe that corpse research has high academic value and have built corpse farms on campus. The three universities are West Carolina State University, University of Tennessee in Knoxville and University of Texas in San Marcos. And the first corpse farm (officially named Institute of Forensic Anthropology, University of Tennessee) was William? Founded by Dr. William Bass on 197 1

Corpse Farm-Name Source

In the corpse farm, the corpse placed in the designated place naturally decomposes. Students of forensic anthropology should study how the environment affects the corpse and its decomposition speed.

The first corpse farm (officially named Institute of Forensic Anthropology, University of Tennessee) was William? Founded by Dr. William Bass on 197 1 Because the police always ask Dr. Beth to help analyze the body in criminal cases, he thinks it is necessary to study the decomposition process of the human body. At first, the organization was small, with only one body. Now it has developed into a research field with an area of about 12000 square meters and about 40 corpses at any time. 1995 Patricia? After the publication of patricia cornwell's novel "Dead Farm", this research field became famous, so it was dubbed "Dead Farm".

At present. Three universities in the United States believe that corpse research has high academic value and have built corpse farms on campus. The three universities are West Carolina State University, University of Tennessee in Knoxville and University of Texas in San Marcos. [ 1]?

Corpse Farm-Corpse Source

At the beginning of Dr. Bass's corpse farm, unclaimed corpses were used in the forensic autopsy department. Later, people began to donate bodies to forensic anthropology research institutions. ? [ 1]

If you are interested in donating the remains to forensic anthropology institutions, you need to contact the corpse farm to arrange the donation before you die. At the same time, tell your family or lawyer about this decision and ask them to inform the corpse farm to collect your body after the death of the donor. Usually, the school's corpse farm collects the donors' bodies after the funeral. However, if the distance is far away, the heirs of the donor's estate may have to pay for the transportation of the remains.

Body farm area

There are no specific standards or principles to be observed in corpse farms, but safety and privacy should be guaranteed. Corpse farms vary in size. The corpse farm of the University of West Carolina is a square structure with a side length of about18m, which can accommodate 6 ~ 10 corpses at the same time. The corpse farm of the University of Tennessee covers an area of about12,000 square meters and can accommodate about 40 corpses. The corpse farm in Texas is even bigger: the corpse farm of the University of Texas in San Marcos covers an area of about 20,000 square meters. [ 1]

Corpse farm-purpose

Forensic anthropologists can determine the time of death of the deceased by observing the activities of insects on rotting corpses. But if the body decays to the extent of bones, it is difficult to determine the time of death. Only through the corpse farm can this problem be solved. In the corpse farm, scientists can determine the time when the corpse liquid flows into the soil by studying all kinds of information needed by the soil around the corpse, such as measuring the acidity of the soil. In addition, forensic anthropologists also pay attention to the influence of weather and environment on corpses: they study what will happen to corpses in the desert under the sun; It also studied the damage of scavengers to rotting corpses. If the larger bones have been scattered, it is certain that the body has been dead for a long time (because animals usually tear the smaller bones first). [ 1]

Corpse Farm-Corpse Research

Corpse farm

The results of corpse research in a certain environment are only effective in this environment, and the United States has a vast territory and needs to build more corpse farms. The current data of corpse research can be applied to Georgia and Virginia, but in Arizona and New Mexico with desert climate, these data may not be accurate, because the degree of decomposition of corpses in those places is very different. So it is necessary to build a corpse farm in arid Texas. Of course, it is best to set up one in every state in the United States, but it may take many years to achieve this goal.

And the research focus of each corpse farm is different. The research field of the University of Tennessee corpse farm is extensive, including the decomposition and decomposition of corpses under different conditions, such as buried, unburied, underwater and even in the trunk of a car. The corpse farm in West Carolina mainly studies the decomposition process of corpses in the mountains of Carolina. The corpse farm in Texas also provides research data in specific areas, and forensic anthropologists in other areas such as New Mexico are also waiting for the research data in Texas, so as to conduct a comprehensive study on the decomposition and decay of corpses in desert climate. ?

Usually, the corpse yard will store the received corpses in the cold storage (the same as the cold storage in the morgue), and then number the corpses and put them in a specific location in the corpse yard. The staff will carefully draw and record the parking position of each body. Students will learn how to organize the chain of evidence in the process of studying corpses. In the process of handling criminal cases, it is very important for autopsy personnel to make autopsy records. In this way, the integrity of the evidence or the custody of the body will not be in doubt at the legal level. ?

There are bodies with different decomposition time on the corpse farm. Students practice finding, collecting and moving the remains of dead bodies. The remains will be taken to the laboratory for further analysis and research. After the research, the remains can be returned for burial at the request of the family members of the deceased, and unclaimed remains will be stored in the bone collection department of the research field. The University of Tennessee in Knoxville claims to have collected more than 700 bones. ?

The corpse farm in Texas, USA, covers the corpse with steel wire, which can prevent the coyotes from taking the corpse away. For small-scale corpse farms in West Carolina, fences can play a protective role. [ 1]

Corpse farm-people who deal with carrion

Max, a legal anthropologist, stopped in front of a swollen female corpse. The color of the female corpse is orange and fruity red, and her ankles are only skin and bones. Max said: "In the end, we have to complete a timetable for the decomposition of the body. In this process, we take some digital photos every three hours, and we need to know exactly what happened when the body decomposed. Death is a process, not a result. If you look at it calmly, you will find it beautiful. Our work is natural. I mean, I really like this woman's hands. I often stop and look at her hand with admiration. " He bent down and struck the dead joint of the female corpse with his hand wearing surgical gloves. "For me, there is nothing to be afraid of, really nothing to be afraid of." Walking up the hillside, I found three male bodies lined up, all of which were coated with antiseptic oil and well preserved. Max stopped and bent down to check his black and orange toes. Looks like the raccoon came to visit again. Because raccoons are very interested in people's toes, in order to prevent raccoons from hurting the body, another newly arrived body was protected by barbed wire. ?

To outsiders, it is really a terrible thing that so many insects fly around the corpse, but Max insists that the interaction between insects and corpses is one of his research topics. The Knoxville research field that Max wants is the only place in the world to study the phenomenon of corpses and insects, and the time of death of corpses is determined by the time when various insects come to the corpses. He said that every murder is also a story of an entomological detective. ?

The change of social conditions helps to determine the condition of the corpse, because the life class of this person can be inferred from the development and maintenance of the corpse when it is alive, which greatly narrows the scope of the search. Even a pile of bones can provide strong evidence. ?

In a recent case, bones played a huge role. 1997 In August, Murray Marx was called to a broken house outside Knoxville. There is a 2 1 year-old female corpse floating in the stinking pool. Max and a local pathologist stared at the swollen body covered with maggots and concluded that it died four to seven days ago. Max said, "When we got there, the head of the body was gone. It was a female corpse, and her head sank into the pool. We fished it out first. But the skull fell apart and it took a lot of effort to put it together. " Max is an expert in facial rehabilitation. He not only restored the tattered face of the female corpse, but also restored the trauma of the skull. From the trauma of the skull, it can be concluded that the murder weapon was blunt. Max continued: "We used all the knowledge about maggots, flies, edema and bone recovery to piece together corpses and related cases. I took the skull and determined the time of death of the body. " ?

Buzz, peaches and plums are everywhere?

He admitted: "The stench will enter my stomach, but I am used to it, and the stench is also one of our research objects." He pointed to a small box hanging above his body. This box is called electronic nose. There are 32 sensors in the box, which receive all kinds of malodorous mixtures emitted by rotting corpses. These mixtures have their own names, such as "cadaverine" or "putrescine". These gases are collected in a small bottle and then determined by a gas analyzer. Because there is a predictable period of decomposition of a corpse, we can make an olfactory timetable according to the smell to help law enforcement officers or court experts determine the time of death of an unknown corpse. Having an accurate time of death is extremely beneficial to solving the case. Max's Department of Legal Anthropology is located in the Neilan Gymnasium of the University. It is a pale yellow tower building. Through the dark and long corridor, it came to a laboratory, which was full of bones, vertebrae and skulls on the mat. In another house, a huge plate was filled with rotten residue recovered from the forest and boiled in detergent. Their department has an unofficial seal, consisting of a skull and two crossed swords. This logo was designed by Bill Bass, the founder of the project. He is 73 years old and a retired professor. One-third of the American 6 1 experts recognized by the American Legal Anthropology Committee were trained by Bass, who was the originator of this field. 1994, Patricia Conville got inspiration from Bath and his research work and published a novel named Death Farm. Since then, this research field has been dubbed "Death Farm". Bass said that he liked the name because it summed everything up.

Corpse Farm-Research Results

Scientists can study the natural decay of human corpses and the influence of rotting corpses on the surrounding environment in the corpse farm. For example, social insects thrive on corpses. Digestive enzymes released by rotting corpses will kill plants and affect the surrounding vegetation.

Forensic anthropologists can determine the age, gender, race and figure of the deceased by looking at the bones. Generally speaking, there is little difference in the bones of children of different sexes before puberty, so it is impossible to judge the sex of the dead child through the bones. The sex of an adult deceased can be easily determined by bones. The easiest way is to look at the size of bones-usually men's bones are bigger than women's, especially at muscle joints. There are great differences in pelvis between different sexes. The most obvious thing is that the upper opening of the female pelvis (the internal size of the pelvis) is large, which is convenient for childbirth. ?

Skull can also provide clues for sex determination. Men's foreheads tend to lean backwards, while women's foreheads are rounder. A woman's chin is usually sharp, while a man's chin is square. ?

Not every bone can provide clues to determine the age or age of the deceased. For very young children, forensic anthropologists may study the characteristics different from those of adults, such as whether the teeth have fallen out, but this method is obviously not suitable for older victims. Other methods are needed to identify older victims, one of which is to study the ribs of the corpse. With the increase of age, the place where the end of the rib meets the cartilage on the spine will become rougher and rougher from the original smooth state. So the thicker the ribs, the older the victim is. But no matter which method is adopted, forensic anthropologists can't completely determine the age of the deceased, and can only judge the approximate age range. [ 1]

Corpse Farm-Social Ethics

The corpse farm can provide a lot of valuable information, but some people still object to the study of the corpse farm.

No one can accept leaving the dead in the middle of nowhere. Due to different cultures, religions and regions, people's funeral concepts and traditions are very different. The ancient Egyptians were very particular about the burial ceremony and preparations before burial, such as embalming the body (which is still common today). Tibetan lamas have the custom of celestial burial-leaving the dead bodies in the wild for vultures to eat. Some people choose to be cremated after death, others can't accept it, and don't want the dead body to endure the pain of fire. ?

When I heard that the University of Texas planned to build a corpse farm, some residents in nearby San Marcos said it was unacceptable. Some people are worried about the bad smell and terrible sight of the corpse farm, and some even think that there may be coyotes hovering around the city with rotting corpses. So the university chose a new site, but at this time vultures in Texas hindered the construction progress. The public is worried that the corpse farm will attract vultures and other raptors and threaten planes taking off and landing at low altitude at nearby airports. Later, the University of Texas announced that the corpse farm would be built in an area exceeding 1 1,200 hectares, at least 1 1,600 meters away from any property in the area, thus alleviating people's worries about the corpse farm. The final location of the corpse farm is remote and secret, which has been recognized by local residents. [ 1]

Corpse farm-disease spread

In addition to ethical concerns, people are also worried that corpse farms will cause viruses and spread diseases. But the managers of the corpse farm will try their best to avoid these phenomena. The corpse farm will not accept any corpses found to be infected with infectious diseases. Any corpse carrying hepatitis, tetanus and other germs is not allowed to enter the research field. In fact, the body itself will also stop the spread of diseases. In the process of decomposition, the pathogenic tissue will also decompose, so that the corpse will not spread germs. [ 1]

Corpse Farm-Help Solve Crime

The FBI has always been interested in using anthropology to solve crimes. From 1936, the FBI began to seek the help of experts from the Anthropology Laboratory of the Smithsonian Institution, which is still playing a role in solving crimes. The corpse farm at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville uses corpses assigned to the FBI for training and research to simulate crime scenes and possible crime scenes. The FBI team regularly conducts corpse excavation exercises in the corpse farm to strengthen their ability to collect corpses and identify bones in solving crimes. At the same time, the FBI also proposed to use radar to search for bodies buried under the concrete of the corpse farm. ?

The research results of corpse farms are useful all over the world. When a large number of buried bodies are found in Iraq or Rwanda, inspectors can determine the race and time of death of the deceased by studying the corpse farm, which is helpful to investigate the responsibility of the criminal regime. The test can also determine whether the victim died of shooting, beating or head impact. ? [ 1]

Interactive Encyclopedia:/wiki/%E5% B0% B8% E4% BD% 93% E5% 86% 9c% E5% 9c% BA