Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (2003) is a humorous survey of dead bodies. The chapters cover a wide range of applications:

• medical school teaching and learning
• the history of body-snatching
• decay and decomposition
• crash test subjects
• post-accident forensics
• military experimentation
• crucifixion tests
• organ donation
• cannibalism
• cremation, composting, and other disposal methods

... and more! Roach's writing style is smooth and chatty; the technical content seems reliable; the only major fault is the lack of an index.

_{(cf Prayers of Comfort (2004-01-07), Johnson Condolences (2008-01-05), ...) - ^z - 2023-09-18}