Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies?

by Kenneth V. Iserson

Book Overview

Probably the most complete recent book on the physical and cultural aspects of death. Covers everything from embalming, cremation, cryogenics, autopsies, organ donation, anatomical dissection,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1883620074
• ISBN13: 9781883620073
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Galen Press
• Length: 709 Pages
• Weight: 2.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

An Encyclopedic Overview of Death & Dying

Of the many books on death and dying that I've read over the past six months, Kenneth Iserson's "Death to Dust" is by far the most comprehensive and enjoyable of the bunch. Weighing in at over 800 pages, "Death to Dust" is truly an encyclopedic approach to the subject. Iserson divides his discussion into fourteen chapters; the shortest is about eleven pages (the introduction), while the longest is a massive 80+ pages (the average chapter length is about 50 pages). He adeptly covers all aspects of death, dying, grief, mourning, and post-mortem activities and concerns. He discusses practical matters, such as how to arrange a funeral, bodily transport across state lines, embalming, funerary rituals and etiquette, cremation, and advance directives. Iserson even includes a helpful, ten-page "Body-disposal Instructions and Discussion Guide," designed to help the living ease the inevitable burden their next of kin will face when they pass away. However, "Death to Dust" is not simply a consumer guide. Although he does offer a wealth of practical information, he also launches into more esoteric and macabre discussions. Some chapters are certainly not for the faint of heart. If cannibalism, headhunting, corpse dismemberment, grave robbing, anatomical dissection, autopsies, or putrification give you the heebie-jeebies, read with caution! True to its encyclopedic nature, "Death to Dust" takes care to cover ALL aspects of death and dying - particularly the more unpleasant and morbid topics. Iserson approaches these subjects with a dry sense of humor. Although I thought that his witticisms spiced the book up and made his discussion more entertaining, some audiences might be taken aback by Iserson's (sometimes) light tone. It's obvious that Iserson (or his editor!) spent a lot of time making the book easily navigable (an especially important detail in a book this size!). Each of the fourteen chapters is further sub-divided into lettered subsections (usually 25+ per chapter). The subsections each have their own heading and read like short articles, so that readers can easily browse through the book and skim over desired sections. The index and table of contents are also very detailed. Finally, Iserson has gone to great pains to cite every single reference he consulted while constructing the book - and there are many! The typical chapter has hundreds of footnotes, which are conveniently included at the end of each individual chapter. For the macabre among us, if you buy just one book on death and dying this year, look no further - "Death to Dust" is it! Those looking to arrange for their own post-mortem plans might find the book helpful as well, although there are consumer guides designed specifically for advising individuals of wills, advance directives, organ donation, and corpse disposal ("Caring for the Dead: Your Final Act of Love," by Lisa Carlson, is an excellent place to start). I'm not sure I'd recommend "Death to Dust" to the newly

Should be read by EVERY adult.

To preface, I'm 'only' 30, so it's not like I'm looking to pop off any day now. Lets be honest, humans do a very serious job of ignoring death and all that it entails. We don't want to see the messy parts, just the gushy greeting card parts where we swear to "never forget," and "always love," the person who is dying. And we certainly do our best to minimize and deny our own mortality. For this reason I think that adults of ever nationality should re-acquaint ourselves with death. Our grandparents were much more familiar with death, dying and the practical aspects thereof(how long can you keep a corpse in the parlor before it really MUST be buried)than we are today. Death has become so 'clean' as to be almost a non-issue. Having dealt with the death of my own Mom within the past year and half, I can truthfully say it is better to deal with the subject before, than it is during or after. (I first read the book 4yrs ago.) The personal growth you'll do while reading this book will be of immeasurable value to you. The style in which the book is written keeps the subject from being a gory dramatization of death, and also keeps you from Gothic over sentimentality. There is no better PRACTICAL treatment of so personal an issue on the market. Thank you, Mr. Iverson!

Essential for the Necrophile/Taphophile

All aspects of death and dying are covered here by a pathologist who sees it as his duty to provide for the reading public the reference which has never been available before. The squeamish may find some sections worth skipping, but those who want to understand the biological and cultural realities of Death will want to read every word of this instant classic. If you are going to buy one book covering embalming, burial, cremation, and the legalities of death, make it this one.

An excellent resource for horror writers!

This book is probably the single most useful reference work I have beside my desk, and one of the few I've read cover to cover. It contains more details than most of us have ever wanted to know about what happens to bodies after death - including funeral practices, the hows and whys of autopsies, the timeline of rigor mortis and decomposition, tales of cannibalism, body snatching and premature burial... it's all in here. Well-written and well-indexed, too. I cannot recommend it too highly.

Fantastic Book!!!!

As a sociology major dealing in Thanatology (the study of death and dying), I have had to do a great deal of research for articles and presentations. I was given a copy of "Death To Dust" by a professor of sociology when I was preparing a presentation for a symposium I was attending at the time. I was amazed at the wealth of knowledge it contained, and the functional way in which the book was laid out. Anything that anyone could want to know about death and dying is in this book. I would strongly recommend it to professionals and laypersons alike. Mr. Iserson has done an excellent job with his presentations in this book. In it you will find information on body disposal (laws & methods), autopsy procedure, organ donation information, what happens to the body after death, and many other subjects about death. Again, if you are just interested in the subject, or a professional in need of research material - purchase this book. It's a one-of-a-kind reference book!