Do You Know When You Will Die? Here Is the Likely Answer! All About Death . . .
Answers To Questions About Death
This article covers the common causes of death, life expectancy, the dying process, the embalming process, cremation, decomposition, exhumation, and the answer to that question -- do people really lose weight immediately after dying because their soul has departed?
This article is broken into different subjects relating to death so that you can find the information you are looking for more quickly. I have included a Table of Contents so that you can see the order the subjects are listed in, hopefully making it easier to find the specific information you may be looking for, or you can take your time and read this article in its entirety.
________________________________________________________________
A Casket Prepared for Burial
Table of Contents
Many People Seem to Have a Natural Curiosity About Death
When Do Most People Die?
Via DNA Even Death Has a Circadian Rhythm
What Is the Leading Cause of Death In the United States?
Does a Person Lose Weight Immediately or Soon After Dying When Their Soul Leaves Their Body? Can One’s Soul Be Weighed and Measured?
Do Hair and Fingernails Continue to Grow After Death?
How Long Does It Take For the Human Body to Decompose After Death?
Embalming Makes a Big Difference In Decomposition Time and Has Been Practiced Using Different Substances for Centuries
What Is the Embalming Process?
Home Funerals Are On the Rise
What Is an Autopsy and Why Is It Done?
How Is an Autopsy Conducted?
How Does Cremation Work? How Long Does It Take to Cremate a Body?
Does Your Body Go Through a Shutdown Sequence When You Die?
What Is a Burial Vault and What Is Its Purpose?
National Funeral Director’s Association Statistics
What Is a Mausoleum?
Drive Through Funeral Wakes
Sources
_______________________________________________________________
Many People Seem to Have a Natural Curiosity About Death
There seems to be two prevailing attitudes about death. Some people prefer not to talk about death at all. Some people prefer to pretend death will never happen (denial) while other people fear that talking about it may hasten that event (superstition). Still other people are curious and want to know everything about death; maybe in part because it is one of those subjects too many people consider taboo.
A few weeks ago one of my students posed several questions to me regarding death. This student lost his/her grandmother a few months before and as a result, had a lot of questions for me about death. “What happens when a person dies, how long before their body decays, how long does cremation take, does a person really lose weight right after they pass?” My student had a gazillion other death related curiosities as well. This hub was inspired by his/her desire to know all the answers about what happens when a person dies.
While I was able to answer some of the questions my student asked because I have researched certain aspects of death before, I felt additional research was in order for many more of the questions to make sure I gave accurate information. I thought perhaps other people might be interested in the answers to these questions too, and that is the reason for this article.
Here are the answers I found in response to this young person’s questions along with a lot of other information, some of it surprising to me, that I found in the process of researching this subject that I thought was more than a little interesting in reference to death.
Via DNA Even Death, Has a Circadian Rhythm
“Just as circadian rhythms regulate things like preferred sleep periods and the time of peak cognitive performance, they also regulate the times during which we're most likely to experience an acute medical event like a stroke or heart attack.”
"[Clifford] Saper -- who is also the James Jackson Putnam Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, and also the chairman of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Neurology -- explained to me over email, there is a "biological clock ticking in each of us."
Quotes from Megan Garber writing for The Atlantic.
When Do Most People Die?
The answer to this question was not even on my radar when I came across studies indicating that some people have actually looked into this issue and conducted studies on this subject. Some of the answers I foound may surprise you like they did me.
According to statistics, most people die on their birthday or within 3 months of their birthday. Usually within 3 months after their birthday, but sometimes it happens within 3 months before their birthday.
Several years ago when I was thinking about it, I actually noted that many of the people I knew who had died had in fact died within 3 months after their birthday! What surprised me was that according to the statistics, a lot of people actually die ON their birthday. I have never known anyone who did that.
The finding about when most people die that surprised me most of all is that according to statistics most people (the largest number of people) die on February 17th. This seems a little odd to me. What is so special about February 17th? If anyone knows, they do not seem to be telling. I will say this, however. My father died on February 17th, and that was 3 months plus 41 days after his birthday.
While many of my readers no doubt view this subject as deeply serious, I am afraid I must ask this question just the same: Could February 17th be something like April 15th? You know . . . you can file your tax return any day after January 1st, but if you do not get to it right away, so long as you get your tax return postmarked no later than midnight April 15th, all will be well. So could February 17th be the day everyone has to check in (or out depending on your perspective) if they miss their original appointment?
I do not know about you, but some of the information I found in my research created more questions in my mind about death rather than fewer.
February 17th, as the most popular day to die, is not the only surprising information I discovered. There is a particular time of the day when most people die. That time is 11 AM.
A lot of people are superstitious about the number 13. There are no 13th floors in tall buildings. I do not know if they built the entire building with 15 or more floors and then just slid the 13th one out and threw it on the scrap pile or what, but they do get rid of it because no one wants to be that high in the air on the 13th anything!
So, will builders now have to get rid of the 17th floor somehow, too? Will 17 become the new 13? Will people become anxious and nervous on Friday the 17th just as some people do on Friday the 13th? Will February 17th become the most feared day of all regardless of what day of the week it falls on? Will 11 AM on that day become the most dreaded time of the year?
Will horror movies now have to choose whether to feature the 13th, or the 17th? Will the new ‘witching hour’ now become 11 AM instead of midnight?
Look at it this way. Everyday that you live until noon you have made it for another day – unless it happens to be your birthday, within 3 months since your birthday, or February 17th. Then you may have to make it for a bit longer before you breath a sigh of relief. Once you get through all those risky days and time, life should be more relaxed again for a while.
To read more about how scientists came to the conclusion that most people die around 11 AM, and how some people tend to die around 6 PM, check the reference section below for Yahoo Finance. I know, why is Yahoo Finance publishing these findings? All I can tell you is that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
It seems that we all relate to time in a specific way depending on the DNA we have inherited from our parents. Along with that, and our natural circadian rhythm, the time of day when we are most likely to expire (or have a major health event like stroke or heart attack) can be predicted. In other words death in old age from natural causes can be predicted fairly well.
Your DNA will not predict if, or when, you may be hit by a truck or a train, or if you may step off a cliff. It can only predict natural events.
What Is the Leading Cause of Death In the United States?
Bet you think you know the answer to this one. With all the talk about heart disease being the leading cause of death and cancer being the second leading cause of death, most people probably believe that everyone dies of one or the other of these afflictions. Guess what? It turns out that most people in the U.S. do not die of either of these diseases.
The main cause of death in the United States, as a result of our exceptionally modern medical services is OLD AGE! Yup, most people who die in this country do so because of old age.
Even with more than 50,000 people dying in the U.S. every year because they have no access to our best healthcare system in the world (Harvard University study findings), old age is still the number one reason people die in the United States. In addition to our superior modern medical services (for those who can get them), quality of life is sited as part of the reason for people living so long in this country.
Even though we have wonderful amazing medical services in this country that have extended the length of life for many of our citizens, the fact is that people in other developed countries live longer. Why? Because they have universal healthcare so that everyone has access to their wonderful medical services, unlike the U.S., which does not have universal healthcare and so many people die every year as a result.
Can One's Soul Be Weighed and Measured?
“The point that sticks in my mind is we don't understand what the soul could be (physical manifestation or some type of energy) so we can't measure it.” Quote from Daniel Kurz, Bio Team member on Biology Online
Do Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death?
This disturbing, gruesome image is pure "moonshine" according to forensic anthropologist William Maples, who was quoted in the BMJ study [British Medical Journal]. However, he explained that dehydration of the body after death can cause retraction of the skin around hair and nails, giving the illusion that they have grown. All tissues require energy to sustain their functions, and no such thing is possible once the mechanism that promotes normal growth shuts down at death (Andrew Weil, M.D.).
Does a Person Lose Weight Immediately or Soon After Dying When Their Soul Leaves Their Body?
According to cmw333 on Biology Online (See references below to access this information), “It was Dr. Duncan MacDougall of Haverhill, Massachusetts who attempted to weigh the human soul. In 1907, he placed 6 dying patients on a homemade scale, which also acted as a bed for the patients. He then recorded their weights before and after death. According to Dr. MacDougall, there was a difference of 21 grams between the heavier, living patients [before death] and their dead bodies.
He [Dr. MacDougall] also experimented on 15 dogs and found no loss of weight between the living dogs and their dead bodies. He believed this was because animals do not have souls. (This is not fact, but opinion, regarding whether or not animals have souls.)
His [Dr. MacDougall’s] experiments were criticized since of the six patients [included in the experiment], two tests had to be discarded and the level of error [in the experiment] was very high. Obviously, it was not a very scientific study.
In addition, no one has ever been able to repeat the result of these experiments. Basically, there is still no physiological evidence of the soul. It's an urban legend propagated by a guy who did bad science - looking for an answer he already believed was true. Real science doesn't have attachments to pre-existing beliefs and values. It just observes and hypothesizes.”
Scarlett1 on Biology Online concurs with cmw333 on this issue, and in fact I was unable to find any credible reference in opposition to these opinions on any website.
Since the soul is spiritual, not biological, it would seem to me that it would have no measurable weight, so until someone can prove otherwise, I must agree with the opinions given above.
How Long Does It Take For the Human Body to Decompose After Death?
First let me warn you that the following information is not for the weak of stomach.
If a dead body is left to decay, no embalming fluids or other steps taken to preserve it, this is the usual progression of events.
The body immediately starts to cool down from the usual 98.6 degree Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) internal body temperature once the heart stops beating. The body temperature will drop .83 degrees Celsius, or 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit every hour on average, allowing some consideration for external conditions.
The body will cool down more rapidly in a cold environment than it will in a hot environment. A dead body will continue to cool until it reaches room temperature, or the temperature of the surrounding environment.
Blood begins to ‘pool and settle’ because the heart pump has quit and is no longer forcing the blood to circulate through the body. If a corpse is lying on its back at death and is not moved, most of the blood will pool in the back of the body. Like any liquids, blood will seek the lowest levels.
In addition to the temperature of a corpse falling and the blood pooling, a condition known as rigor mortis sets in approximately 2 to 6 hours after death. Rigor mortis is a stiffening of the muscles and joints as a result of chemical changes in the body that cause the muscles to contract and will last for 24 to 60 hours when the muscles and joints begin to decay.
Molly Edwards, writing for How Dying Works (howstuffworks.com), says that the intestines and other body organs such as the pancreas, stomach, etc., are full of living organisms after death just as they were when the person was alive. These organisms basically digest the pancreas and other organs they inhabit and then move on to other organs.
As the corpse decays it changes colors, first green, then purple, and finally black. The organisms that cause all of these changes in the decaying process create what Ms. Edmonds describes as an “awful-smelling gas.” This gas will cause the body to bloat, the eyes to bulge out of their sockets, and the tongue to swell and protrude from the body. Sometimes after a few weeks the body of a pregnant woman will expel its fetus as a result of this gas created by all of the organisms involved in the decomposition process.
Within a week of death the skin blisters and may fall off with the slightest touch. After a month, the nails, teeth and hair will fall out. The internal organs will have liquefied by this time causing the body to swell. At this point the body will burst open leaving only the skeleton, and in some cases various types of implants if the person had any of those things added during their life. Steel plates to mend bones, pace makers, and yes, even breast and other implants may still remain.
Keep in mind that all of the above described changes take place when a body is not embalmed. If a body is embalmed, that can allow the physical body to remain mostly in tact for a much longer period of time by slowing the decomposition process considerably.
Embalming Makes a Big Difference In Decomposition Time and Has Been Practiced Using Different Substances for Centuries
Science Daily reprinted an article from Zurich University in Switzerland stating that embalming has been in practice since at least 300 A.D. Of course mummification was in use long before that. We have all read about how the Egyptians preserved dead bodies almost indefinitely.
Wikipedia says, “In 1867, the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann discovered formaldehyde, whose preservative properties were soon discovered and which became the foundation for modern methods of embalming, replacing previous methods based on alcohol and the use of arsenical salts.” Yes, in the 19th and early 20th centuries arsenic was used as an embalming fluid.
It was recently in the news that Tycho Brahe (pronounced Tie-ko, Bra-hee) had been exhumed 2 years ago (sometime in 2009) and that tests and examinations were performed on his body to determine if the man had died from mercury poisoning (it was determined he did not). Brahe was a royal astronomer back in October 1601 when he died. He was exhumed previously in 1901, also.
The point is that the human body can survive fairly well in tact for very long periods of time if it is first embalmed and then buried properly. Brahe has been dead for more than 400 years, yet there was enough left of his body after all that time to test and determine that he did not die of mercury poisoning. Imagine how long a body embalmed by our most modern methods, and buried today might last.
It is important to remember that even after embalming certain parts of the body remain in fairly good condition for long periods of time better than others. All the parts of the body may not age equally well.
Embalming Rooms
What Is the Embalming Process?
Again I want to caution readers with a weak stomach, because some of the following information may be difficult for some people to read.
The purpose of embalming is to preserve the body long enough for it to get through a funeral or other service and then to burial or cremation. Embalming also helps to prevent the spread of disease.
The first step in embalming is of course retrieving the body from wherever it has been taken after death, the medical examiner’s office, for example, or from the location where the death took place. Time is important, so undertakers must be ready to retrieve dead bodies at any time of the day or night. There is no sleeping late and picking the body up when they have finished breakfast. Undertakers must even work on holidays and weekends as needed.
The putrification process begins immediately once the heart stops. Stopping or slowing that process and preparing the body for whatever services the family has chosen must begin as soon as possible.
Once the body is in the preparation room, it is placed on a slab with draining grooves, the clothing removed, any bandages or medical devices removed, and the body is washed to remove any bodily fluids, or waste materials of any kind. A strong disinfectant spray is used to clean the skin, eyes, mouth, and other orifices.
All bodies, male, female, adult, child, and even babies, are then shaved to remove unwanted hair and or peach fuzz from the face. Everyone has peach fuzz and it needs removal so that the makeup that will be applied later will not collect on the hair and make the makeup too noticeable.
Next the muscles are massaged to get rid of rigor mortis to make it possible to arrange the body as desired and to make the body easier to move. After rigor mortis of the body has been eased the positioning of the facial features and the body itself, the way it will be arranged in the casket, is done.
Once the embalming fluid is introduced into the body, the body will be in a truly fixed position, so it is important to arrange the body and facial features in whatever position is desirable before embalming fluid is pumped into the veins.
You can get more details by checking my references below, but basically the next steps involve preparing the face or head for viewing.
Because the eyes often sink back into their sockets after death, some practitioners place cotton under the lids, while others place ‘eye caps’ over the eyes with a bit of ‘stay cream’ (type of glue) to help prevent dehydration of the eye lids. The lids are often glued together to prevent them from separating. Contrary to what some people believe, the eyelids are now sewn shut.
Next the mouth is tied together with suture string inserted with a needle, or by using a special injector gun that shoots a wire into the upper and lower gums. The wire is then twisted together to hold the mouth shut. The mouth is then stuffed with cotton. Some morticians use a ‘mouth former’ that grips the lips in a desirable position. It is kept in position with a bit of ‘stay cream’ that also keeps the lips from dehydrating.
Once the features are arranged, the introduction of embalming fluid begins. Embalming fluid is a combination of formaldehyde, and some chemicals called Metaflow and Chromatech.
EIHF Isofroid defines Metaflow (one of it’s products) as the following: “Metaflow is a pre-injection and co-injection chemical specifically formulated to intensify embalming chemical receptiveness within the vascular system. It stimulates drainage, circulation and disperses arterial obstacles such as clots and fatty deposits. Metaflow speeds up injection operations, and contributes to superior embalming results. It detoxifies residues of addictive drugs and chemotherapeutic agents which impair preservation and disperses vascular obstacles. Metaflow dissolves fatty gel deposits and prevents cell clumping and clot formation.”
Chromatech gives the body a more natural appearance than makeup can do, giving the body a ‘glow’ of sorts from within so that the body has a more believable appearance of sleeping. Chromatech has a pinkish color not unlike Pepto-Bismo.
Once the chemicals are mixed, and this is often done in the embalming machine, the arterial embalming is done by injecting a tube into the carotid artery. The jugular vein is frequently used to drain the blood out as the embalming fluid is pumped into the carotid artery. Once the arterial embalming is done, the next step is the visceral embalming – draining the internal organs of fluid and replacing that fluid with embalming chemicals.
Just before makeup is applied to the body and it is prepared for viewing, the hole made in the neck area for arterial embalming is sutured, the hole in the abdomen for visceral embalming is stuffed with cotton and sutured, the body is cleaned up, and cream is put on the face and hands to prevent that skin from drying out.
Next the body’s face receives some generous injections of “Feature Fixer,” which plumps the face so that the body looks almost healthy enough to be alive. Next the hair is washed, dried, and styled, and makeup applied to the face and hands.
Finally, the body is dressed, placed in the casket, and posed. Except in the case where a body has received an autopsy, normal underwear is included in their clothing. If an autopsy was performed, the internal organs are treated outside the body and then either put back inside the body cavity embalmed, but still in the plastic bags that contain them, or they are placed at the foot of the casket. It is important to keep the body cool as much as possible to further retard deterioration.
When all of the above steps have been completed in the embalming process family members view the body and decide if any changes need to be made. The body is checked frequently by the mortician to manage the deterioration and correct as necessary, any decomposition that may occur during the viewing period. There should be few if any serious decomposition issues for at least a week.
This film shows what an embalming room looks like and lasts about 3.5 minutes
Home Funerals Can Help in Getting to Acceptance of Death
"A lot of people don't want to do anything with touching dead bodies," says Knox. "They consider it creepy. But it can actually be the first step to healing and acceptance of death. Slowing down the process allows all involved to absorb the loss at their own pace. It's an organic emotional and spiritual healing not available from limited calling hours at a remote location." (Jaweed Kaleem, Huff Post Religion)
Home Funerals Are On the Rise
It seems that home funerals similar to the ones that used to be held in times before the Civil War are gaining in popularity. According to Elizabeth Knox, founder of a Maryland based funeral resource organization and president of National Home Funeral Alliance (NHFA), some people consider it preferable to care for their dead loved ones themselves at home, than to turn their bodies over to a funeral home and place it in unfamiliar surroundings where contact is limited to a social occasion.
Knox managed her own 7-year-old daughter’s funeral and body preparation after the little girl died from an airbag deployed in a low speed auto accident. Knox then wrote a book about it, and now travels around the U.S. advising and training other people who want to have home funerals. There are 61 organizations in her nonprofit NHFA group, located in Maryland, California, Texas, and Colorado.
“Most states have nearly eliminated any requirements that professionals play a role in funerals. It's now legal in all but eight states to care for one's own after death,” writes Jaweed Kaleem for Huff Post Religion.
Kaleem further states, “The reasons vary from the economic to the psychological and cultural. The average funeral costs $6,560, while a home funeral can cost close to nothing. In a society where seeing death and speaking of it is often taboo, home funeral advocates are challenging the notion that traditional funerals are anything but a natural end to life. Instead, they assert, death and mourning should be seen, smelled, touched and experienced.”
“But the most important benefits, advocates agree, are psychological. ‘"There's a tremendous increase in healing and acceptance of death for the family to touch and see and be with the departed," Knox said. "It's very empowering at a time when you feel like everything's out of control,"’ writes Rachel S. Cox for The Washington Post.
Cox also writes that home funerals are not for everyone. ‘"For families that have difficulty addressing the topic of death, [a home funeral] is much more difficult," said Stephanie Handel, a grief therapist at the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing in the District [of Columbia]. Facing not only the many reminders of a loved one but also the body itself "might be too much to cope with," said Handel, who also directs a program at the Washington morgue that helps next-of-kin cope with the legalities of an unexpected death . . .”’
It seems that more and more funeral homes are willing to assist people in managing home funerals. Package deals are still available, but many funeral homes also offer clients the opportunity to choose the options they want, which may only include transportation, a simple casket, and/or the ability to consult on issues in regard to preserving the body, etc. For more information on this subject and accounts of home funerals that have taken place see my reference section.
What Is An Autopsy and Why Is It Done?
WebMD defines autopsy, sometimes called a post mortem, as a thorough medical examination procedure that is performed on a person’s body after death. The purpose of the autopsy is to determine as exactly as possible the cause of death, especially if the death was unexpected or may not have been from natural causes (homicide, suicide, accident, etc.).
Usually family members will decide whether or not to allow an autopsy to be performed, but in some states in the U.S. an autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death if the death is as stated above, unexpected and untimely, and especially if foul play is suspected. In some states, permission from a person’s family is not required in such a case.
Here are a few more reasons why an autopsy may be performed:
* When a medical condition has not been previously diagnosed.
* If there are questions about an unexpected death that appears due to natural causes.
* If there are genetic diseases or conditions that offspring or blood-related family members may also be at risk for developing.
* When the death occurs unexpectedly during medical, dental, surgical, or obstetric procedures.
* When the cause of death could affect legal matters.
* When the death occurs during experimental treatment.
* To determine as much as possible the exact cause of death. For example, the only way to determine if a person absolutely had Alzheimer’s disease is with an autopsy. Prior to death it may be strongly suggested, but only an autopsy can make a certain diagnostic determination at this time.
How Is An Autopsy Conducted?
Again, if you tend to get a bit squeamish, you may want to skip this part.