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Taphophilia (dot) Com...
A repository of morbid curiosities:
Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.
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Forgotten ashes await permanent resting place |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Thursday, 16 December 2004 |
By JASON SKOG, The Virginian-Pilot
December 16, 2004
It seems an odd spot for a final resting place, stacked against a bare concrete wall, between a cluster of old mop handles and a coil of extension cord.
Yet, there they are: more than 250, each labeled with a five-digit code. Some containers are covered in a fine, chalky dust. Some have sat in this dark corner for almost a decade.
“A lot of these are past the point of no return, if people are looking for them,†Mike Dotson said.
The boxes contain “cremains,†ashes of human bodies that have been cremated. In this case, they are the remains of medical cadavers, bodies donated to science.
When doctors and medical students have learned all they can from a body, or the body is worn out, Dotson picks it up for Virginia Humaniteks, the human side of Pet Cremation Services on Bonney Road. The company handles cremations for several medical schools, hospitals and universities.
In some cases, the family members of the deceased want the ashes back. Usually, they don’t, so Dotson, the crematory’s operations manager , adds them to the stack.
Virginia law doesn’t require the ashes be kept for a specific period, but Virginia Humaniteks started keeping them for three years and now keeps them for five years or longer. That’s a precaution in case relatives change their minds or a long-lost relative shows up.
That’s also why there are so many boxes along the wall behind the second cremation unit. It may not be peaceful or proper, but it’s accessible.
“There would be nothing worse than having a loved one show up looking for the ashes, and you have to tell them you don’t have them,†said A. Neal Kellum , company president and owner.
Kellum doesn’t have names for any of the cremains, only a code. A family wishing to find a loved one’s ashes in Virginia should start with the state’s anatomical board in Richmond.
This year, Virginia Humaniteks cremated 60 cadavers. Eight were returned to relatives. It takes about three hours to burn the average cadaver, Dotson said. The cremation units blaze at about 1,600 degrees. Bodies preserved in formaldehyde burn faster because the chemical adds fuel.
On Wednesday, Dotson cremated two cadavers from Hampton University, where they were used in advanced anatomy class.
With cremation unit No. 1 sufficiently cool, Dotson grabbed a long, wooden broom and swept the material into a catch basin, where it fell into a steel box on the floor.
He poured the remains into a large, stainless-steel processor and flicked a switch for 35 seconds , turning remaining bones and teeth into a fine powder. Carefully lifting the lid, he inserted the nozzle of a canister vacuum to remove dust.
Then he slowly shook the ashes into a Maxwell House coffee can. He tucked a clear plastic bag inside a black box, then poured in the contents of the coffee can. After twisting the top of the bag and securing it with a tie, he snapped the lid closed.
“Hampton University, 12/15/04, CAD 04-232†was ready for the stack.
Dotson recently rearranged the containers to make room for more. The tall part of the stack is pushing 6 feet.
He said a building expansion is opening in March, and it will include a better storage area for the cremains, “like a cabinet area or a nice little room so they don’t get so inundated with dust.â€
But Kellum said he’s also seeking a longer-term solution. He’s looking for a proper burial site for those cremains and expects to have something as soon as this spring.
“Eventually, I’ll put them in one burial vault and have a minister conduct a blanket service,†he said.
The collection of containers will be identified with a single marker, Kellum said: “Maybe something like, 'Here lie those who gave their bodies to further medical science.’â€
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=79394&ran=228045 |
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Taphophilia?
taphophilia (taf′ō-fil′ē-ă)
ORIGIN:
From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"
DEFINITION: 1. An excessive interest in graves and cemeteries. 2. A love or fondness for funerals, graves, and cemeteries. 3. In psychiatry, a morbid attraction to graves and cemeteries
Quote Repository
“Death, the refuge, the solace, the best and kindliest and most prized friend and benefactor of the erring, the forsaken, the old and weary and broken of heart.” Adam speech, 1883
Shirtless and Sculpted
The Men of Mortuaries 2008 Calendar is now available! All sale proceeds benefit KAMMCARES, a breast cancer foundation.
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