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Welcome
Taphophilia (dot) Com...
A repository of morbid curiosities:
Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.
A Taphophilia Thank You...
Taphophilia (dot) Com would not be possible without the knowledge, experience and talent of DarkestWeb. From its conception and early development, DarkestWeb was faced with many challenges; from inspiring and motivating, to providing guidance and direction. The continued dedication and support has produced results greater than ever expected, and for this, I owe a huge debt of gratitude.
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Graveyards of Chicago:
The People, History, Art, and Lore of Cook County Cemeteries
By Matt Hucke And Ursula Bielski. Discover a Chicago That Exists Just Beneath the Surface - About Six Feet Under! Take a tour of Chicago's permanent residents! Please visit the Lake Claremont Press website to purchase your copy of Graveyards of Chicago today!
Green-Wood Cemetery Arcadia Publishing announces the release of Alexandra Mosca's historic account of one of New York's most famous cemeteries. Aracdia Publishing's Images of America series has an extensive catalog of many cemetery publications! Please visit Arcadia Publishing to purchase your copy of Green-Wood Cemetery and to browse other available titles!
Men of Mortuaries Calendar
To purchase your 2008 calendar, learn more about the KAMMCARES Foundation, or to be featured in the 2009 calendar, please visit Men of Mortuaries.
Epitaphs: The Magazine for Cemetery Lovers By Cemetery Lovers
For information regarding subscriptions, single issues, submission guidelines, deadlines, classifieds or advertising for future issues, please visit The Cemetery Club.
Guardians of the Soul: Angels and Innocents, Mourners and Saints, Indiana's remarkable cemetery sculpture
with photography by John Bower and foreword by Claude Cookman is now
available. Please visit
Studio Indiana for more information.
West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.
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Fallout From Body Exhibit Investigation |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Saturday, 28 May 2005 |
Fallout From Body Exhibit Investigation
I-Team Follow-Up
(ABC, channel 7) San Francisco, CA
May 25 (ABC7) — There's fallout from an ABC7 I-Team investigation into an exhibit of human corpses at San Francisco's Masonic Center. There are new calls from City Hall to shut it down.
There are several disturbing questions tonight: why are the bodies leaking, where did they get them in the first place, and how did they get through customs? The I-Team has spent weeks hunting for the answers.
It's an intriguing concept -- replacing the body fluids in a corpse with plastic so that everyone can see first hand the marvel of human anatomy. This show, called 'The Universe Within' is the biggest draw in the Masonic Center's history. But it also raises many questions.
Dan: "Where did the bodies come from?"
Allan Casalou, Masonic Exec. Dir.: "They came from the university in Beijing."
The Masonic's executive director and the show's promoter claim they were able to bring the bodies from China with the help of Peking University and Professor EnHua Yu. The promoter, Gerhard Perner, says he pays rent to the Masonic, keeps 15-percent of the show's profits for himself, and sends the rest back to China.
ABC7's Dan Noyes: "Do the profits go to Dr. Yu personally or to the university?"
Gerhard Perner: "To the university."
But university officials say all that's not true. They had no role in acquiring the bodies, they're receiving no money. In fact, they never heard of this body show until contacted by the I-Team. We've learned that Perner was able to get bodies meant for medical research and teaching from a factory in Nanjing, China. It worries San Francisco supervisors that these bodies are now on display on Nob Hill.
Fiona Ma: "I am positive that people who signed up to donate their bodies did not ever imagine that their bodies would be displayed like this for a commercial purpose, so I think it's totally wrong and unjust."
Aaron Peskin: "I'm worried there is maybe trafficking in dead human bodies which is obviously something we don't want going on anywhere in the world and we don't want anything in San Francisco to be a part of."
The I-Team also contacted the Chinese consulate here in San Francisco and they wouldn't comment. They say the dead body trade is a controversial issue back in China and the government is trying to figure out how to respond.
But, the Health Department is responding after the I-Team showed them evidence the bodies are leaking. We even took samples, and lab tests on the fluid turned up silicone used to preserve the bodies and liquefied human fat. Public Health Director Mitchell Katz has given the show's organizers until the close of business tomorrow to provide documentation on the bodies.
Mitchell Katz: "The question is, is the flesh treated in such a way that it poses no risk, and I haven't seen enough to convince me yet that that's true."
Which brings us to the question of how the bodies got here in the first place. They arrived from China in two shipments through the Port of Oakland. Dora Baldwin is Assistant Port Director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
ABC7's Dan Noyes: "How do 20 bodies that are leaking fluids get through customs?"
Dora Baldwin, U.S. Customs: "They were not leaking at the time of importation, that is something that we would have..."
ABC7's Dan Noyes: "You sure about that?"
Dora Baldwin, U.S. Customs: "Relatively sure."
Dora Baldwin admits agents didn't open the crates, and the leaking wouldn't show up on the gamma ray scan they used to check the shipment. She says Gerhard Perner had enough documentation to satisfy Customs agents, but the show may soon face attention from other agencies.
Aaron Peskin: "Frankly, I think it's time the coroner go out there and see whether or not this is okay."
Clearly there's a lot happening on this story. We'll bring you the latest on Thursday on ABC7 News at 6. You'll also meet some people from California who've signed up to have their bodies displayed this way, but it's another exhibit, that operates quite differently.
One other note -- the Customs official also told us, agents didn't ask for death certificates on the bodies the way they normally do for cadavers. She says they aren't required for a commercial shipment of bodies that have been preserved.
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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
“Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life.” Bertolt Brecht
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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