Death to Dust. What Happens to Dead Bodies? (Book Reviews).

Death to Dust. What Happens to Dead Bodies? Second Edition.

Author: Kenneth V. Iverson, MD

Publisher: Galen Press, 2001

"...and the dust returns to the

earth as it once was

and the life breath returns to God

who gave it.

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,

All things are vanity!"

Ecclesiastes 12:7-8

We are all pilgrims in this world. Everybody must die. There is no escape from death, no matter how unpleasant it is or how hard we try. As death cannot be conquered, various cultures have developed a variety of ways to cope with this unwelcome event. In western civilizations at present few people die at home, and when someone dies, "specialists" are called in to take care of the deceased body and make the necessary arrangements for the funeral. They try to "beautify" the body and make it as life-like as possible to give the loved ones a last glimpse of the person, as if still alive, before the body is taken away. We try to avoid talking about death because it reminds us of our own mortality. We even avoid using the word "died," and instead use euphemisms such as "departed," "passed away," "no longer with us," or "has gone to a better place." We somehow hope that by not mentioning the word "death," we may postpone the inevitable time.

Dr. Iverson, in the second edition of his book, literally takes the bull by the horns and provides an encyclopedic wealth of factual information about death and especially what happens and what may happen to the body after death. The scope of the book is breathtaking. Death and funerals in other cultures and in different ages are also discussed. Not only are the facts well described, but often Dr. Iverson includes "inside information" about specific issues to further pique the interest of the reader and add spice to the text. Virtually all aspects are covered, including cannibalism and shrinking heads. A section of the book is devoted to organ donation. Another title for this book could well have been "Everything you always wanted to know about death...."

The information is provided in a matter of fact, down-to-earth, straightforward manner. Nothing is left to the imagination. Tables are often used to emphasize facts and crystallize the information. All the information provided is backed by several references at the end of each chapter. The book is packed with facts, small case reports, anecdotes, and quotations.

The book is very well organized, extremely well written, and easy to read. The 820 pages are divided into 14 chapters and an appendix. Each chapter in turn is divided into smaller sections to facilitate the reading process.

I received the book while I was preparing to leave my office for the airport. I thought it looked interesting and packed it in my briefcase. I had planned to get quite a bit of paperwork done during the trip. Mostly out of curiosity, I picked up the book at the airport and started reading it while waiting for the plane. I was not able to stop reading the book until many hours later in my hotel room when I reached the last page. I then found myself thumbing through the book to re-read parts that I had particularly enjoyed. This must have been the first time that I did not mind my flight being delayed and having a long layover in the connecting city! Needless to say, I did not do any of the paperwork I had planned to! Reading the book was a thoroughly enjoyable and educational experience.