The Miracle of Plastic

As I had mentioned in previous blogs, one path that a donated body may take is that of plastination. This process is one that has been taking the nation by storm in the commonly visited "Body Worlds" exhibit and other similar imitations. I was fortunate enough over spring break to experience the "Body Worlds" exhibit for the second time in Denver Colorado. Just a quick note, if you have seen this exhibit the majority of the displays remain the same-the basics you could say-but there are differences in the displays which means that going to the exhibit more than once is worth the time and the admission. So, I was able to see this display for the second time, this time with other Trinity pre-med students and let me just say that I could walk through this exhibit a hundred more times and still enjoy it--no, not just because I want to be a forensic pathologist, most people do enjoy it. What was unique about this experience was that, not only was I able to recognize and identify more of what I was looking at since I have taken an anatomy course between my last visit and this one, but also that I could take my time and discuss what I was looking at with others that were interested. Most of the displays are in glass cases and are not to be touched, but this time I was able to touch a cross section of tissue and a heart that had been platinized while I was learning about the plastination process from some museum representatives!

For those of you who have not had the "Body Worlds" experience—DO IT!!!—the display, or rather series of displays, are a variety of bodies that have had the skin removed and have been plasticized in different positions so that the audience is able to view the different components of the body from all different angles. There are also different organs, tissues, and systems on display away from the body as well as the entire development of a human baby up to birth. For some this may sound gruesome, but I assure you that with the amount of gore that the media shows these days this is hardly comparable--not to mention that all the blood has been removed from these bodies, and so they have a much cleaner look. In fact, the plastination process--at least what they can legally tell us because the process is patented--is rather simple. After the body is received, it is embalmed just as it would be if it were to be placed in a casket. The embalming process includes the draining of the blood. After words, where the blood is replaced with acetate, or nail polish remover, which removes any moisture that may be present. Then the plastic is put into the body and once that is done, the body is positioned using pullies and ropes. After the body is positioned, it is usually placed under a tarp where a "fixer" is steamed over it. This causes the plastic to set and the body to harden in the desired position. This process seems relatively easy, but for one body this may take over a year to complete.

One of the things that, at least in college, many forget is that you have to have a sense of humor. Luckily, the group that I went to the “Body Worlds” exhibit with is very good at keeping a good attitude. What I mean is that sometimes I will make comments, particularly around bodies or food, that I feel are not disturbing, but that turn other people's stomachs. In this particular instance, I was carefully examining the digestive system that was on display. My friend walked over and joined me upon which I said, "I'm really hungry, I could go for some pasta, or some pizza, or something like that." She looked at me and just started laughing. Thankfully the sight of human intestines, that many relate to pasta, doesn't bother her and she actually found my comments funny instead of revolting and soon shared that she too was hungry and pasta sounded appetizing.

At the exit of the exhibit, there is a book of comments. Quickly glancing through, the only comments I was able to spot were ones of amazement and awe, like myself the majority of the exhibit's visitors had enjoyed the experience. Also, there were cards where, if you wished to have your body plastinated after your death, they would send you more information. I took a card and will soon send it in to receive more information so that I can make the decision of where my body will land when my time here comes to the end.

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Shotgun Mind

So I’m subjecting myself to all this education in order to become a Forensic Pathologist—they tell me another twelve to fourteen years of school—so what exactly does that entitle? Many would think that this would be simple, a special school that would take the normal four years of college that would train individuals in this highly specialized field. If that’s the case then why am I at Trinity? Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. First, you have to get a general education, which is where Trinity comes in—and get this, in order to get into medical school you don’t even have to have a science degree, you could major in art! While I have often thought of getting a degree in something other than a science, I have chosen to work for my Biology degree for several reasons. First of all, the requirements for medical school include so much Biology and Chemistry that it actually makes sense to major in one and minor in the other since it just means a few more classes. Second, my back up plan is to become a Coroner, which while in the same career field, only requires that you have a Biology degree.

So here I am, working on my Biology degree, learning about plants and the chemical pathway of Vitamin A. Why? I don’t really need to know this for my career (this has crossed my mind several different times). The only explanation I can think of is that medical school wants you to know a variety of topics and that in doing so you learn things in different ways and can therefore learn how to survive a variety of problems that you may be faced with in the world of medicine.

After taking the Crime Scene and Crime Lab course however, I feel like any reference to crime scene investigations in the classroom cause a shotgun to fire in my mind and that all this information comes rushing to the forefront of my brain (something that I wish could happen during all my tests!). The most recent instance came while I was sitting in Biology Lab. My professor was discussing the possible uses of DNA replication by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) when on her list she mentioned crime scene investigation and went further to mention the O.J. Simpson case. There it went and rattling through my brain went…..Jon-Bonnet Ramsey, Eddie Gein, Ted Bundy, Lacy Peterson, Charles Manson, the green river killer, the Zodiac killer, Jack the Ripper, Columbine shootings, and then some cases that were in our local area. This helped me to become more interested in the day’s lab; I could pretend that my work would help investigators to catch a loose serial killer. However, once reality hit that it was just another day in Biology Lab and that this PCR reaction was using my own cheek cells, my enthusiasm faded.

One of the things I try to do in my studies is much like what I was subconsciously doing in my Biology Lab; pretend that I am working in my career field. I have found that this not only motivates me to get through my studies, but I remember the things that I related because they interest me more. For example, our Biology textbook was also talking about an enzyme that used to be extracted from cadavers and injected in live humans to prevent a disease. Stuff like that I can easily retain in my memory and so as I continue down this long pathway towards my Forensic Pathology, I will continue to connect everything in order to retain the information.

Working the Scene

Crime Scene Investigation has become one of the fastest expanding fields over the last several years thanks to the hit television show C.S.I that originally was set in Las Vegas. However, with the show’s continued popularity, there are now shows about the CSI branches in Miami and New York, as well as the military version, NCIS. However, after taking my Crime Scene and Crime Lab course as well as talking to the Coroner in my hometown, I am not only no longer allowed to watch the show (courtesy of my mom—love you!), but I am also acutely aware of all the improper protocol that the teams perform. So why on earth do I notice the wrong things on these otherwise smash hit television shows? Well, after learning from both a private investigator and a Coroner the proper ways a crime scene should be conducted, quite frankly, you can’t help it. Now you are probably thinking, please Morgan, tell me what exactly is so glaringly obvious that they do on the show that is so wrong, and why do you care. So, first of all, I care because it has to do with my career field; a field that is hard pressed for evidence and the actions that these characters are performing can actually diminish the amount of usable evidence. For clarification, usable evidence is evidence that has not been contaminated, contaminated by which I mean with the DNA of one of the other people working the crime scene. So before I begin, I would like to say that I do in fact enjoy these shows even though they are not entirely correct in the way they handle things; it is also a reminder that not all cases are handled properly, like the Jon-Bonnet Ramsey case which is still yet to be solved. *A general aside, if you are a fan of CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York, or NCIS and do not want to be acutely aware of the improper techniques used on the show, I advise that you stop reading immediately.*

The CSI television show, since limited to a short showing time, is unable to demonstrate all the processes of a crime scene investigation appropriately. First of all, when the team first arrives on scene, generally on the immediate area around where the crime occurred is taped off; however, the responding officer to what is usually a 911 call is responsible for securing the scene. This means that they are marking off a large area around the scene where there is potential for evidence to be found. In the case of a crime taking place in the home, everyone is removed from the home, unlike the television show that just has the wife of the victim go sit on the couch in another room. Likewise, a log is maintained of who has been in the crime scene and if anything was removed. Those that do enter the scene usually try to follow the same path throughout the scene to minimize the disturbance of the scene.

After the scene is secured and the log created, the team takes video and several sets of photographs. This is an extremely long process since the team has to take pictures from a distance, medium distance, and up close of all materials that may be part of the investigation; as well they take those same photographs with measurements next to the item as a reference. After this is complete the collection of evidence can begin. HOWEVER, the main point that I need to make—because it pertains to my career field the most—is this: no one, I mean no one, except the coroner touches the body! The only other people that touch the person are the paramedics if they are trying to resuscitate the person, or check for vital signs. That is the biggest mistake that the show makes; they have anyone on scene searching the pockets of the victim for some form of identification. In reality, again, only the coroner can touch the body and anything that is on, in, or around it. Why is this?

As a forensic pathologist it will be my job to determine the cause, manner, and time of death. The positioning of a body can tell a lot about how that person died, so if someone moves it, part of my investigation is over. However, as a forensic pathologist, I am actually not present on the crime scene, so it is up to the coroners that pick up the body for me to take excellent photographs and descriptions of the body before I see it. The can also decide to bag the hands and feet if they feel that there is potentially DNA from the perpetrator as a result of defensive struggle.

Again, the CSI family of shows is something that I do still enjoy. However, as I prepare for a career in this very same field, I do recognize that their mistakes can actually make my job harder and therefore am attuned to those mistakes. As I continue my coursework for this career path, I plan to continue to watch these similar shows in order to learn these different mistakes that can occur in the field and to see how different mysteries of bodily injury are solved.

Stiff Remains

Recently, a friend passed my way a novel that she knew would spark my interest: Stiff; The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. In this short book, Roach explores the different paths that await cadavers of people who decide to donate their bodies to science. After all, the majority of the population probably is not aware that donating your body to science is an option and that not every body is autopsied and thrown in the grave. (So as a side note: In reality, not even every body gets autopsied; in fact, one of the things I learned while at the coroner’s office was that the only bodies that get autopsied are those that have noticeable trauma or the cause of death is unclear.) However, while many people choose to be organ donors on their state identification, many don’t know exactly what that means; I sure didn’t when I agreed to it. All of this is discussed in Roach’s book. What many people don’t realize is that when you agree to be an organ donor the likelihood of that happening is rather slim. According to Roach, in order to donate your organs you have to be what is known as a beating heart cadaver. Essentially what this means is that your heart is still beating but you are completely brain dead and therefore have no possibility of recovery. I thought that was interesting just because

So, if I decide to donate my body to science what happens? Well, that’s not something that you choose, but as Roach mentions, you can find yourself in a variety of places: a car company test facility, at the hands of plastic surgeons, on a body farm, or on display. Some of the more common uses of bodies are those that involve doctors and/or plastic surgeons. Let’s face it; the best experience you can get is by actually doing something. Therefore, the best possible option is to allow both plastic surgeons and doctors to use donated bodies to get that experience. If you were to poll the general public, my guess is that the majority of people would rather a doctor have experience on a body than just from observation and reading a text book. I know I sure would! Many people do realize that this is the most common place a donated body ends up, but what Roach’s book explains is the more gruesome points—such as the fact that often for plastic surgeons they will cut the body into workable pieces; i.e. facial surgeons work with only the head which I found quite interesting. I was also fascinated by the fact that major car companies use bodies in several tests—not just crash dummies. Logically it makes sense; a crash dummy cant bleed, it’s made out of plastic after all. Additionally, the car companies use these donated cadavers to determine how much force the body can sustain. They do this by slamming machinery into say the shoulder. Perhaps the reason this is not well known is because of the taboos associated with cadavers and that this is seen to be disrespectful. However, I have to say that the two fates that interested me the most were being on display and something called the body farm.

Perhaps you have heard about the exhibit “Body Worlds” that has been a cause for much attention. A minor caveat here—if you have not seen this exhibit, you need to, it is one of the most incredible things I have ever seen! Anyways, this display consists of donated bodies that have been posed and dissected and then plasticized. This was an effort to demonstrate the beauty of the human body, and what a success it has been. Another scientific endeavor to learn about the human body is the body farm. Now, I had seen a segment on television about the body farm before reading Roach’s book so I was excited to find more information on it. At the University of Tennessee, the Anthropology department receives donated bodies and they photograph them, set them up in a particular situation, and leave them in the woods surrounding the university (don’t worry its fenced off). Now you may be wondering, “why on earth would you just dump a body outside and leave it?” Well actually this is research that will someday help me to better do my job as a forensic pathologist. They are studying the affects of decomposition on the body. So they both video and photograph the bodies as they go through the different stages of development. This is impertinent in my field of work and more specifically to me since I will be determining time of death, and having the latest information about how to narrow that down is crucial—it could put a criminal away, or let them go free.

I have often thought that graduating from Trinity in three and a half years would be beneficial so that I could start Medical School promptly. However, the process of applying to Medical School makes it so that you do not enroll until a year after application. So, if I keep up with my studies, I hope to graduate in three and a half years and possible spend a semester at the University of Tennessee working on the research at the body farm, or working with the Coroner in Colorado Springs, Colorado. So while I would love to work on the body farm or in something closer to my intended profession, I must continue getting my information base in Biology and Chemistry for now.

The Morgue

“We serial killers are your sons, we are your husbands, we are everywhere. And there will be more of your children dead tomorrow.” – Ted Bundy

Curiosity landed me in a Crime Scene and Crime Lab class at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs my senior year in high school. At the time, I thought I wanted to become an athletic trainer seeing as I had a background in sports as a varsity soccer player and swimmer; but my career goals quickly changed after studying with a private investigator in that college course. We quickly began learning the past murder cases of my hometown, some of which were from early years in my childhood, and some, like the Columbine shooting and the Jon-Bonnet Ramsey, that were fresher in my memory—and that my professor had actually worked on. We heard audio clips, saw some videos that the perpetrators were dumb enough to create, and saw some pretty gruesome police photographs. Soon we were learning how to analyze bloodstains in order to tell what force was used on a body and where the body was when it was struck.

My career choice was slowly moving to that of a private investigator when one class we ended up at the Criminal Justice Center: here we toured the evidence facility and learned what is collected from a crime scene and how long that evidence must be held before being destroyed. There were rooms of guns, money, drugs, and computers; all of which were crucial to different cases—some of which we had been analyzing in class. The final stop at the Criminal Justice Center, the part that many in my class were dreading but that I had anticipated was—no not the jail—but the morgue (yes I said it, its not a typo!). As we entered the building much of the class fell silent, and cast their eyes downward, yet I was excited to learn more. We went through the toxicology and histology lab where they analyze the blood and tissue samples from all bodies, and then we hit the floor.

It particularly reeked that day since there were two heavily (you will understand in a minute) decomposing bodies in there. They were green and black and one even had maggots coming out of his face. The other had major skin slippage—where the materials that connect the skin to the rest of the body have decomposed so if you touch the skin it will slide right off. From where I was standing, I could see right down the spinal column, through his skull, of Mr. Maggot. That was when I knew that becoming a Forensic Pathologist was what I was meant to do. Another gentleman was taken out of the freezer and we briefly looked over his insides like we would if we were doing a formal autopsy.

By far, the trip to the Criminal Justice Center was the most enjoyable part of the class, however, we were also assigned to study a certain serial killer (hence Ted Bundy) and that just reaffirmed that I wanted to work in this field. Since that day, I have been back to the morgue to get more educational questions answered and that is how (at least partially) I ended up at Trinity. In order to become a forensic pathologist I need to get my Doctorate degree and from there go to specialty school. I chose Trinity because I thought that it would be the best possible preparation for Medical School.

I hope that through my experiences at Trinity and personal knowledge about Forensic Pathology, I will be able to share the experiences of the road to Medical School while imparting knowledge into why this career field is often taboo, but also interesting.