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What's New at Arcadia

Historic Burial Grounds of the New Hampshire Seacoast By Glenn A. Knoblock

Arcadia Publishing has releases a new title in the Images of America series, the historic account of the cemeteries along the New Hampshire Seacoast. This collection is a must for anyone interested in local history, genealogy, or colonial-era art. Please visit Arcadia Publishing to purchase your copy of Historic Burial Grounds of the New Hampshire Seacoast and browse other cemetery books!

Green-Wood Cemetery By Alexandra Mosca

Arcadia Publishing announces the release of the 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.

Announcements

Quoting Death in Early Modern England: The Poetics of Epitaphs Beyond the Tomb By Scott L. Newstok

An innovative study of the Renaissance practice of making epitaphic gestures within other English genres. A poetics of quotation uncovers the ways in which writers including Shakespeare, Marlowe, Holinshed, Sidney, Jonson, Donne, and Elizabeth I have recited these texts within new contexts. Visit Palgrave Macmillan and purchase your copy today!

Living by the Dead By Ellen Ashdown with illustrations by Mary Liz Moody.

A memoir about living beside a cemetery--and about the members of my family who came to rest at Roselawn Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida. Please visit Kitsune Books for more information.

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!

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 with photography by John Bower and foreword by Claude Cookman

Indiana's remarkable cemetery sculpture 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.

Heart Devices Retrieved From Crematorium PDF Print E-mail
Written by DeadGirl   
Sunday, 02 April 2006
It was an unusual gathering at the Cremation and Trade Services on Tuesday: a funeral director, the sheriff's department and two top medical device manufacturers.

The object was to protect evidence in a class action lawsuit involving pacemakers and defibrillators that may or may not be faulty.

The 55 devices taken from the crematorium were neatly lined up in two sections. One group was made by Guidant, the other by Medtronic.
Randy Hopper is a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.

"The gravity of the circumstance is significant," Hopper said. "People could have ticking time bombs implanted in them."

The pacemakers and defibrillators were pulled from people who died and were going to be cremated.

There is no proof that these devices didn't work, but Guidant has recalled nearly 300,000 potentially faulty devices, including models linked to seven deaths.

About 87,000 Medtronic defibrillators have also been recalled.

"There are more than 150, suits, lawsuits that have been filed to date and more that keep coming into the federal court," Hopper said.

Information was downloaded from each device. Serial numbers were checked and matched to the deceased. The research went on just a step away from two black ovens used to cremate remains.

The funeral director, Paul Maher, said he has to "collect" the devices because the lithium batteries would explode during cremation.

He tried to reach Guidant and Medtronic to return the pacemakers.

"I tried to call, I did make calls to the companies, but it was just a voicemail," Maher said. "They're big companies. They have lots of things they're dealing with. My issue wasn't at the top of the list at the moment."

So to get their attention, Maher called the media and that's how the attorney found out about this possible lawsuit.

Now, if problems are found, the devices could be used in the lawsuit. Sheriff's deputies tagged and confiscated the pacemakers and defibrillators to protect them from being destroyed.

SOURCE:  http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_081113643.html
 
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