History Channel Airs "Corpse Tech"

On Friday, November 28, 2008, from 7 to 8 pm, The History Channel aired a Modern Marvels episode entitled "Corpse Tech" (2008, 50 mins.) that featured Dauphin County (PA) Coroner Graham Hetrick and Funeral Director Nathan A. Bitner, both of Harrisburg, PA.

Celebrating ingenuity, invention and imagination brought to life on a grand scale, MODERN MARVELS® tells the fascinating stories of the doers, dreamers and sometime-schemers who created everyday items, technological breakthroughs and man-made wonders.

It may seem grisly or macabre, but a human's body remains useful long after the person who lived in it has passed away. From forensic investigations to medical experimentation to organ and tissue transplantation, every cadaver has a purpose.

In CORPSE TECH, MODERN MARVELS tours the boneyard to discover just how our remains are put to use.

Meet a County Coroner and visit the University of Tennessee's famous Body Farm to see how dead bodies contribute to criminology. And tour a morgue, a crematorium, and one of the largest tissue banks in the United States to discover the multitudinous fates awaiting our earthly vessels.

So, whether saving a life, catching a crook, or memorializing the departed, CORPSE TECH will show you how the job gets done.

The nationwide television appearance of Graham Hetrick and Nathan Bitner --both of whom I've known here in Harrisburg for awhile -- came as a surprise to me when I viewed the new episode.

However, their appearance had been noted in advance in a Press Release issued by Dauphin County, PA, dated July 23, 2008, entitled "Dauphin County Coroner to Appear on TV Show" (which only mentioned it in the title).

Graham noted the significance of death as an emotional and spiritual event that holds the deepest meaning. Nathan explained (and demonstrated) how rendering a corpse in a presentable way can allow for some closure in the grieving process.

The documentary was upbeat, detailed, and antiseptic in exploring the technological, business, and environmental aspects of its offbeat, but common, topic -- disposal of human remains by burial or cremation.

This episode is one of a few produced by The History Channel about death, which include:

• Crypts, Coffins and Corpses -- "From the Ganges River to a college of Mortuary Science, this is a comprehensive look at how mankind has dealt with the dead throughout the ages."

• Rites of Death -- "How does belief in an afterlife affect rituals which give meaning to the greatest and most terrifying of mysteries: death?"

• Business of Death -- "Go inside the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science, where they believe in hands-on training."

• Cemeteries -- "Industry insiders offer a behind-the-scenes look at the $20 billion American funerary business. It's the one journey we all make."

• Beyond Death -- "Mainstream researchers, mediums and those who have had near-death experiences help explore the eternal mystery of what awaits us when we die."

That last episode leads to the topic presented in A&E/History Channel's Paranormal State: Cemetery, which featured Pennsylvania State University students in their club affiliated with the Paranormal Research Society:

Other students at Penn State University join clubs to play chess, speak French or go camping.

But a special few share an interest that goes far beyond this plane of existence. They are The Paranormal Research Society (PRS).

Under the leadership of club founder and director Ryan Buell, the intrepid team sets out each week to discover the truth behind terrifying real life mysteries, hauntings and ghosts. * * *

If you are interested in their investigation at cemeteries, this is what that episode covered:

Spend some quality time among the gravestones with Ryan and the rest of the PRS crew as they track a disturbing force to a mysterious, unclaimed cremation urn.

• Forget the Ghostbusters! Call the Paranormal Research Society!
• PRS investigates cases submitted by ordinary people suffering hauntings and other phenomena.
• A gothic graveyard is a suitably creepy setting for PRS' latest investigation.

I know, I know . . . you'd rather watch Modern Marvels: Corpse Tech, like I did.

Well, I have some bad news, straight from The History Channel's website: "There are no upcoming airings within the next two weeks."

Cremation Society Settlement

On April 14, 2008, the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association and the Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, Inc. announced a settlement in an ongoing dispute regarding the rendering of cremation services by CSP in Pennsylvania.

The dispute traces back to complaints filed with regulators in 1999. In the absence of any regulatory action, litigation later was filed by private parties -- first by an individual funeral home operator, and then by PFDA, against CSP.

According to an article entitled "Scottdale funeral director seeks to shut down Cremation Society", by Paul Peirce, published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on July 22, 2004, the first litigation questioned CSP's legal license to market and perform cremation services.

A Harrisburg business has been sued by a Westmoreland County funeral director who contends the self-proclaimed "oldest and largest cremation provider in Pennsylvania" is actually an unlicensed funeral facility that has been operating illegally for more than 22 years.

Scottdale funeral director Robert B. Ferguson Jr. is asking Common Pleas Court Judge William J. Ober for an injunction to shut down the Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Inc. because it is not operated by a licensed funeral director as required under the state's Funeral Directors Law.

"Without question, the society has been working in the field of funeral directing, but it is not a licensed facility as required under state law. I feel this lawsuit is crucial to the integrity of all proper, legally licensed companies which are in the business of funeral directing," Ferguson said.

Ferguson said the Dauphin County company claims on its Web site that it has more than 28,000 pre-arranged cremation contracts statewide.

"We feel all 28,000 contracts are illegal because the Cremation Society of Pennsylvania is not a properly licensed business," Ferguson said. "What really gets me are its ads that state, 'Why call a funeral home when you can call us.'"

Ferguson said he opted to pursue legal action against the firm because the state board of funeral directors has failed to take a decisive action on a complaint he originally filed with the regulating agency in 1999. The state funeral directors' licensing board falls under the Department of State. * * *

The initial lawsuit was followed by a second one filed in August, 2004, by a member organization of some Pennsylvania funeral directors: "PFDA filed suit in August against the Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, the Veterans Cremation Society and Dale A. Auer, owner of the two companies". See: "PA Funeral Directors Association Assists Consumers to Guard against Fraud", posted August 31, 2004.

PFDA and CSP appear to have settled the dispute finally, specifically addressing the "pre-need" cremation packages sold by CSP, as described in the Press Release, dated April 14, 2008, issued by PFDA, entitled "The Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Agrees To Cease Marketing Of Pre-Need Cremation Services -- Legal Settlement Agreement Recently Reached".

The parties have agreed to publish a notice to members of the Cremation Society who have executed pre-need cremation contracts advising the members of the opportunity to negotiate a new pre-need cremation contract with a licensed funeral director if they choose to do so.

If a member does not choose to negotiate a new contract, the existing pre-need contract with the Cremation Society will be performed by Auer Memorial Home and Cremation Services, Inc.

In the event a new pre-need cremation contract is executed by a member, the Cremation Society of Pennsylvania will take the appropriate actions to change the terms of the pre-need cremation contract and will take all steps necessary to transfer all funds, plus interest to the selected funeral home.

The PFDA Press Release concluded with this advice: "If consumers have any questions, they can contact Kathleen K. Ryan, Esq. at the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association by calling 1-800-692-6068."

I viewed the "Cremation" webpage (updated 05/08/08) of Auer Memorial Home and Cremation Services, Inc., but did not find reference to this settlement. However, its "About Us" webpage notes the connection between CSP and Auer:

Auer Memorial Home and Cremation Service, Inc. has entered into a service agreement with the Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, the state's oldest and largest provider of direct cremation.

Currently, there are nearly 28,000 individuals pre-arranged with our organization.

The Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, who performs most of the cremations for Auer Memorial Home and Cremation Service, Inc., utilizes a Ten Step Identification Process to guarantee the integrity of the cremated remains. * * *

Query: Given the announced settlement, isn't that last statement incorrect, as reversing the roles of CSP and Auer?

Update: 05/12/08:

In my original posting I had stated that, on July 12, 2005, the Pennsylvania State Board of Funeral Directors imposed regulatory sanctions in a proceeding against CSP. I was made aware this afternoon that CSP was never the subject of regulatory sanction over this issue. Thus, my statement was incorrect. Another cremation society with a similar name, but not CSP, was involved in such an action.

I revised the posting above by removal of that incorrect statement and of any references to regulatory action.

Dying in the Civil War

In Central Pennsylvania, there was big national news recently: On April 14, 2008, the National Park Service opened a new Museum and Visitors' Center at the Gettysburg National Military Park, in Adams County, PA.

Gettysburg holds a special place in American history, not only as a turning point in the war, but as the site of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, in which he outlined his vision for the nation.

Completion of this $135 million project will enable the [Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum] Foundation and the National Park Service to make Gettysburg a classroom of democracy: a place that educates and inspires; a place that honors America by promoting a better understanding of the forces that shaped our national character. * * * [Link for quote]

This is national news, because the Battlefield at Gettysburg is a treasure of our American history:

The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory in the summer of 1863 that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North.

Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy", it was the war's bloodiest battle with 51,000 casualties.

It also provided President Abraham Lincoln with the setting for his most famous address. * * *

Born, raised, & still resident in Central Pennsylvania 25 miles northwest of Gettysburg, I have long been acquainted with the Battle.

Now older, as a "trust & estate" lawyer, I contemplate more seriously those "51,000 casualties" -- soldiers who were killed, wounded, or lost in action -- during three hot days on acreage away from home that can be toured now -- from one end to the other, and through both armies' lines -- in one day by car.

In the aftermath of the battle, every farm field was a graveyard and every church, public building and even private homes were hospitals. Medical staff were strained to treat so many wounded scattered about the county. * * *

By January 1864, the last few remaining patients were gone and so were the surgeons, guards, nurses, tents and cookhouses. Only a temporary cemetery on the hillside remained as a testament to the courageous battle to save lives that took place at Camp Letterman. * * *

Prominent Gettysburg residents became concerned with the poor conditions of soldiers' graves scattered over the battlefield and at hospital sites, and pleaded with Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin for state support to purchase a portion of the battlefield to be set aside as a final resting place for the defenders of the Union cause.

Gettysburg lawyer David Wills was appointed the state agent to coordinate the establishment of the new "Soldiers' National Cemetery", which was designed by noted landscape architect William Saunders.

Removal of the Union dead to the cemetery began in the fall of 1863, but would not be completed until long after the cemetery grounds were dedicated on November 19, 1863. * * *

News reported locally during the Civil War was collected in searchable text made available online by the "Valley of the Shadow" historical project, created by the Virginia Center for Digital History, affiliated with the University of Virginia.

That Project digitalized and also cataloged the contents of three local Union newspapers published in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and three local Confederate newspapers published in Augusta County, Virginia, that reveal the views of "two communities in the Civil War".

As a T&E lawyer, I found myself searching that Project's records under such terms as "estate", "probate", "death", and "court". The resulting death notices and announcements confirmed that there was an administrative aftermath to many deaths where property was owned by a decedent.

Estates back then were administered under state law (without any concern for federal law) in a simplified, but public fashion that mirrors the basic approach retained today in Pennsylvania -- probate of a last will or application of intestate laws, notifications to creditors, collection of assets, administration by a personal representative, litigation if necessary, final accounting to the Orphans' Court, and distribution of net assets to those entitled.

While browsing the Project's content, I was drawn back to the Battle of Gettysburg. Reading some newspaper articles published in July, 1863, I could experience the North's terror from the insurgents' "invasion", and the South's fervor for a final victory to end the conflict.

According to Confederate Field Orders issued by General Robert E. Lee, reprinted in the Franklin Depository on July 15, 1863, high morality motivated the invading army:

Headquarters Army Northern Virginia, Chambersburg, Pa., June 27, 1863
General Orders No. 73

The Commanding General has observed with marked satisfaction the conduct of the troops on the march, and confidently anticipates results commensurate with the high spirit they have manifested.

No troops could have displayed greater fortitude, or better performed the arduous marches of the past ten days. Their conduct in other respects has, with few exceptions, been in keeping with their character as soldiers, and entitles them to approbation and praise. * * *

It must be remembered that we make war only upon armed [illegible] and that we cannot take vengeance for the wrongs our people have suffered without lowering ourselves in the eyes of all whose abhorrence has been excited by the atrocities of our enemies, and offending against Him to whom vengeance belongeth, without whose favor and support our efforts must all prove in vain.* * *

The Battle of Gettysburg culminated on the third day in Pickett's Charge, the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy", where "[s]o much carnage [occurred] in such a small place -- it is difficult for us today to realize the horror those young men faced * * *."

A report in the Stanton Spectator on July 28, 1863, focused on the commitment and courage of the Confederate soldiers, but could not deny the carnage inflicted by the opposing Union army.

An eye witness testifies that they formed into line of battle as coolly and deliberately as if forming for dress parade.

Headed by their gallant officers, the column being led by General Pickett himself, they moved forward to the carnage across a plain, some 500 yards in width, subjected to the action of guns smoking like a hurricane of death all over the field.

The noble and gallant Pickett, commanding then pressed up to the ugly ramparts of the enemy. It is believed that a more gallant and heroic charge was never made on this continent.

Pickett's division has been in the hardest fighting of this bloody war. The division have borne themselves well and nobly, always and everywhere. But the crowning glory of those patriot heroes was achieved in the assault upon the ironclad crest of Gettysburg.

The list of casualties tells, in terms of truer eloquence, the bravery and patriotism of that blood-stained and self-honored division, than can any figures of rhetoric or poetry. Every Brigadier fell, and a long catalogue of Colonels and other officers.

The division went in from five to six thousand strong. Three days after the battle but fifteen hundred reported for duty. * * *

The Franklin Repository, on July 29, 1863, reflected on the sacrifices displayed on the battlefield:

On Tuesday evening after the fight, we found ourselves among the crowd of visitors to the battle field of Gettysburg.

There were many whose sad faces and anxious inquiries proclaimed their errand. Others, again, were busily attending to the necessities of the wounded; but perhaps in every breast there was felt something of that strange feeling which instinctively draws us to a battle field.

It is not a morbid curiosity as some would claim. It is with a feeling more akin to reverence that we draw nigh to the broad and bloody altar, on which thousands of our fellow beings have so freely laid down their lives for our redemption.

Such spots are shrines to which true patriots will ever make their pilgrimages; and we may rest assured that the nation is nigh destruction when it can forget or walk thoughtlessly over its battle grounds. * * *

A newly-released book provides an analysis how the people of that era were willing to die or to support causes that resulted in such massive casualties.

Professor Rea Andrew Redd, of the Eberly Library, Waynesburg College, in Waynesburg, PA, just posted on his blog, the Civil War Librarian, a notice about a new book, Awaiting the Heavenly Country, by Mark S. Schantz (2008, Cornell University Press, 256 pages).

The book analyzes attitudes towards death in America in the mid-nineteenth century. See: Just Released---From The Hearth, Through The Battlefield, To The Grave (05/06/08):

How much loss can a nation bear?

An America in which 620,000 men die at each other's hands in a war at home is almost inconceivable to us now, yet in 1861 American mothers proudly watched their sons, husbands, and fathers go off to war, knowing they would likely be killed.

Today, the death of a soldier in Iraq can become headline news; during the Civil War, sometimes families did not learn of their loved ones' deaths until long after the fact. Did antebellum Americans hold their lives so lightly, or was death so familiar to them that it did not bear avoiding?

In Awaiting the Heavenly Country, Mark S. Schantz argues that American attitudes and ideas about death helped facilitate the war's tremendous carnage. Asserting that nineteenth-century attitudes toward death were firmly in place before the war began rather than arising from a sense of resignation after the losses became apparent, Schantz has written a fascinating and chilling narrative of how a society understood death and reckoned the magnitude of destruction it was willing to tolerate. * * *

He quotes this passage from Mr. Schantz' book:

Americans came to fight the Civil War in the midst of a wider cultural world that sent them messages about death that made it easier to kill and to be killed.

They understood that death awaited all who were born and prized the ability to face death with a spirit of calm resignation.

They believed that a heavenly eternity of transcendent beauty awaited them beyond the grave. They knew that their heroic achievements would be cherished forever by posterity.

They grasped that death itself might be seen as artistically fascinating and even beautiful.

See also: "In the Mourning Store", a review of that book by Adam Gopnik, published in The New Yorker Magazine on April 17, 2008.

Today, the quiet, well-marked, Gettysburg National Military Park embodies everything that is "fascinating and even beautiful" about death in combat for a cause. The new Museum and Visitors' Center, with its architecture, collections, & illustrations, should aid our contemplation about the past tumult there.

Funeral Planning Gets Funky

On successive mornings recently (Feb 25, 26, & 27, 2008), the CBS Early Show televised three segments about funeral planning, in a series entitled "Funerals To Die For". These videos now can be viewed over the Internet.

For thousands of years, the rich and powerful have been buried with weapons or treasures, and with great fanfare.

Now, more and more "average" Americans are planning their own funerals, personalizing and customizing them, going out in style, in ways that are sometimes elaborate, sometimes non-traditional -- and sometimes -- even fun -- perhaps making the Grim Reaper a little less grim!

The three segments were described on the website of The Early Show, as follows:

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008: "Thinking Inside the Box"

• In South Korea, some people are getting a jump on the grim reaper, staging their own funerals, as a way of appreciating their lives.
• As CBS News correspondent Celia Hatton reports, they go so far as to get sealed into coffins for 15 minutes and have gravel thrown on them.
• To watch Hatton's report, click here.

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008: "Making Your Own Funeral Tribute Video"

• Tribute videos for funerals are becoming big business.
• Many baby boomers are forgetting about traditional home videos and opting for elaborate, high-end productions to share with future generations. And they're spending big bucks while they're at it!
• CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy told the story of Jack Susser, who set out to make a tribute video and ended up starring in a $75,000 short film!
• To see Tracy's report, click here.

Monday, Feb. 25, 2008: "Planning Elaborate, Sometimes Fun Funerals"

• Boomers are at the forefront of the movement, as Tracy explained.
• He spoke with someone who might best be described as a "funeral concierge" -- Mark Duffey, who runs Everest Funeral Planning. Tracy also chatted with two people who already know just how they want to go to the Great Beyond.
• To see Tracy's report, click here.

CBS Early Show's funeral series webpage also provides Internet links to resources about funeral planning and vendors featured during those segments.

The trend towards funny or funky funeral planning appears to be growing as the "baby boomers" age.

On June 12, 2007, Agence France-Presse posted a lengthy article entitled "US funeral planners help the living go out with a bang", which reported: "Even in death, Americans want a say."

With wedding planners already big across the United States, the latest trend in the mighty burial business is funeral pre-planning -- helping the living organize their final event on earth.

According to funeral planner Mark Duffey, the trend is driven by the baby-boom generation born in the aftermath of World War II, many of them recently faced with the overwhelming task of arranging their parents' funerals.

Death for them is no longer a taboo subject and they are determined to do things their way, down to the last detail.

"They don't want to go slowly, quietly into the night. They want to go out loud, kicking and screaming," said Duffey, whose company Everest, billed as "the first nationwide funeral planning and concierge service," has helped organize some 65,000 made-to-measure funerals. * * *

Will some of those funky funerals make history, or make it into a museum? It could happen.

There is just such a museum dedicated to funerals, and it prospers, according to a New York Times article published January 24, 2004, entitled "A Crab-Shaped Coffin? Funeral Museum Showcases Unusual Sendoffs":

From Mass cards under glass to a cross-shaped coffin that was popular among undertakers in the 1800's because it had ample shoulder room, the National Museum of Funeral History, on Barren Springs Drive here [Houston, Texas], offers a wide survey of funeral articles in 20,000 square feet. * * *

Robert M. Boetticher is vice chairman and president of the museum, 20 minutes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Mr. Boetticher spent 40 years as a funeral director, starting when a natural fascination led him to spend time at a mortuary as a teenager. * * *

The museum was started by Robert L. Waltrip, the founder and chairman of Service Corporation International, a national funeral, cremation and cemetery company. The museum, operated separately from the company, is a nonprofit with an annual budget of $200,000 and is connected physically but not financially to the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service, a college of mortuary science popularly known as Undertaker University.

Aside from the physical trappings of funerals, one of Mr. Boetticher's biggest fascinations is the interplay between the consistency of religious funeral rites over the years and the comparatively faddish nature of the more secular customs surrounding death.

''The religion portion of funerals hasn't changed,'' Mr. Boetticher said. ''It's the everything before and afterward that has.'' * * *

The National Museum of Funeral History was featured by Roadside America ("Your Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions"), which commented in its online review: "[W]hat this place lacks in ambiance it makes up for in the scope of its collection. It is quiet as a tomb, which, given the displays, is appropriate."

(While there, visitors could also take in other nearby attractions in Houston, Texas, as reviewed by Roadside America, including Beer Can House, Art Car Museum, and the Transparent Woman.)

Video segments -- such as those recently aired by the CBS Early Show -- about the funeral industry, remain somewhat rare.

The last one that I watched was The History Channel's "Modern Marvels" series show on "Cemeteries" (Episode #135):

More than 2-million people die in the U.S. each year. That works out to about 5,500 burials a day, with roughly 80 percent taking the long goodbye in a casket, and the remaining 20 percent electing to be cremated or finding some alternative method of crossing eternity's threshold.

We take a look at dealing with the dead throughout the centuries, and at today's $20-billion funeral industry. Any way you look at it, it's a healthy business, with new generations of customers year after year!

That show first aired on October 30, 2001. I first watched it in late October, 2007. Yes, I did.

I anticipate that it will air again later this year -- probably again at Halloween.

Update: 03/06/08 @ 10 am:

Professor Gerry W. Beyer, of Texas Tech University School of Law, who authors the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog, sent an email message to me about this posting, specifically the Museum:

I’ve been there – back when it was the American Funeral Home Museum.

It is too far to take my students (it is near Houston which is about 600 miles away). So, instead, I show them pictures. You can follow this link and then click on the "American Funeral Home Museum pictures" link to view my photos.

Gerry mentioned that he was leaving on a trip to Tasmania, and I replied with my best wishes:

Mate --

While there, don't be lookin' at a badger or a mutton bird near a celery-top pine, and then trip over some boobiallas and fall into the arms of a lubra comin' from a badger box. That could make for a lawsuit from you acting like a yaffler, a nointer, or a rum’un.<br><br>Instead, hoist a fizzy cordial, and have a ringtale roarer of a holiday!

G'day.

-- Neil H.

To translate, see: "Tasmanian Words - a lingua francam>".

Update: 03/13/08:

Recently, the Leimberg Information Service posted reference to this Blog entry on its home page; and that is a compliment. But, to get to my posting, you must pass through a data-mining exercise, which I have not endorsed.

Update: 03/29/08:

Attorney Stephen W. Follet, author of the Arizona Estate Planning & Probate Blog, noted this posting with one of his own, dated March 28, 2008, entitled "Funeral Planning, The New Way".

The Art of Obituaries

On January 4, 2008, National Public Radio broadcast a segment entitled "Obit Writer Gets to Heart of Things", consisting of an interview with Ann Wroe, the obituary editor for The Economist, "who aims to capture the essence of a person" upon death.

Wikipedia defines an "obituary":

An obituary attempts to sometimes give an account of the texture and significance of the life of someone who has recently died. It is to be distinguished from a death notice (also known as a funeral notice), which is a paid advertisement written by family members and placed in the newspaper either by the family or the funeral home. * * *

Obituaries are a notable feature of The Economist, which publishes precisely one full-page obituary per week, reflecting on the subject's life and influence on world history. * * *

Accounts that appear in most newspapers follow a standard, crisp format. eHow reduced the writing of an obituary & funeral announcement into eight steps, as described in its online article "How to Write an Obituary":

An obituary is usually written in paragraph form and charts the life of the deceased in chronological order. It should focus on accomplishments of the deceased person and the impact that person had on his or her family, friends and community.

• Step One -- Check with the newspaper to see if there are any restrictions on length before you write the obituary.
• Step Two -- Give the deceased's full name and date and place of death.
• Step Three -- Recount the main events in the person's life, beginning with his or her birth and birthplace.
• Step Four -- Include a list of schools attended, degrees received, vocation and hobbies.
• Step Five -- Acknowledge any survivors, including parents, spouse and children.
• Step Six -- Announce when and where the funeral, burial, wake and/or memorial service will take place.
• Step Seven -- Conclude with a statement regarding where memorial contributions can be sent, if applicable.
• Step Eight -- Time the publication of the obituary so that it runs a few days before the memorial service. * * *
  

Those instructions also included some "Tips & Warnings". One of the comments offered to that article cautioned about accuracy:

Verify everything - I'm a professional obituary writer for one of the largest newspapers in Connecticut. I can share with everyone some very important clues: Always verify everything. Every fact, every spelling, every date.

Once the obituary is printed, it's done. You are paying for this notice to be printed, and you want it to be right the first time. * * *

Most death notices originate from funeral homes. One funeral home, Lippert-Olson Funeral Home, in Sheboygan, WI, explained that process and provided a sample in an "Obituary Writing Guide". See also: "Writing an Obituary", posted by the Funeral Directory.

The best of obituaries can be considered as academic or professional writing, and can approach an artform known as an elegy (to be differentiated from the spoken eulogy).

Most of the better obituaries are written by newspaper reporters, published in the form of articles. Well-written obituaries have been recognized in the past by awards issued by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, as evidenced in 2005 (although not since).

It is this level of obituaries that the January 4th NPR segment highlighted -- those written by Ann Wroe as published in The Economist.

Wroe's job is all about death. She edits and writes obituaries for The Economist magazine.

"It seems to me like an opportunity to get into dozens of very interesting lives and I find it endlessly fascinating, not in the least morbid," she tells Steve Inskeep.

"In fact, we have a tradition in England of rather irreverent and interesting obituaries ...." * * *

Wroe says she likes to "get to the point" right away, and "the point may not be the one we first think of." * * *

"I find a mere chronology of a life really doesn't sum up that life for me," she says. "I want to get the texture and the sound and even the smell of someone ... get right inside the essence of that person." * * *

The NPR article reproduces some memorable obituaries written by Wroe in 2007, including:

• Norman Mailer's Obit
  
• Mohammed Zahir Shah's Obit
• Brooke Astor's Obit and Leona Helmsley's Obit
• Momofuku Ando's Obit
• Anna Nicole Smith's Obit
• Karlheinz Stockhausen's Obit
  

At the end of the interview, Wroe was asked about her own obituary. You can hear her reply by listening online, through the "Listen Now" link provided here.

Image credit: Vincent van Gogh's Sower with Setting Sun (After Millet).
November 1888. Burlap on canvas.
Foundation E.G. Bührle collection, Zurich, Switzerland.

Update: 01/04/08 @ 1:00 pm:

I just noticed some cross-referenced articles on the NPR website that relate to the writing of obituaries. See:

• Eulogizing the Not-So-Dear Departed (Aug. 29, 2007)
• Carolyn Gilbert, "The Obit Lady" (June 17, 2007)
• 'The Dead Beat' Highlights the Joy of Obituary Writing (March 21, 2006)
• Helping Fellow Retirees Write Their Own Obits (August 26, 2005)
• 'Times' Editor Discusses Obituary Snafus (Dec. 9, 2003)
• Pet Obituaries (March 5, 2002)
• The Art of Obituary Writing (July 26, 2000)

"Body Parts" Scandal in Philly and Beyond

On October 8, 2007, The Philadelphia Daily News reported about "a national body-parts scandal that led to thousands of charges against three funeral directors, two businessmen and two companies."

"Survivors' lives shaken in wake of body-parts scandal", written by staff writers Kitty Caparella, Gloria Campisi, & Julie Shaw, focused on the emotional suffering created by perpetrators of criminal fraud in offering funeral services, but selling body parts before disposal of the remains:

Theresa Fetzer fears that when she goes to the Palmer Cemetery to visit her parents' graves, her father's remains may not be there.Her father, John Fetzer, who died May 1, 2005, had cirrhosis of the liver, tuberculosis, bladder cancer and hepatitis C. * * *

Fetzer said her father was cremated at one of the companies charged in the scam, Liberty Cremation, on Ruth near Somerset -- just as her mother had been only five months earlier.

"They were literally throwing the ashes back in body bags that [bodies] came in," Fetzer said she was told by a detective.

"God forbid they had four or five people, instead of cremating them individually, they would cremate them together. Now, we don't even know if his ashes are in the box."

The Fetzer sisters, Theresa and Debbie, were among 48 grieving families identified by a Philadelphia grand jury who were defrauded. The other 196 victims had falsified records. * * *

The indictments were authorized by a grand jury that had convened in response to newspaper reports, as noted in an article entitled "Jury to Get Body Parts Probe: D.A. Will Present Witnesses in Guresome Case", posted June 13, 2006, on Philly.com, and then reposted.

The Philadelphia district attorney's office is gearing up to subpoena witnesses to testify before a grand jury about the role of the Louis Garzone Funeral Home, and possibly others, in the nationwide body-parts scandal, according to sources close to the investigation.

The grand jury's role has come to light just a couple of days after state officials negotiated with Louis Garzone and his younger brother, Gerald Garzone, also an undertaker, to voluntarily relinquish their funeral directors' and parlors' licenses.

"I am pleased that journalism worked," said Kevin Vickers, a former tissue-company worker who first told the Daily News in a February interview that he cut up dozens of corpses inside the Louis Garzone Funeral Home.

Vickers worked for the now-defunct Biomedical Tissue Services Ltd. (BTS), based in Fort Lee, N.J., which sold tainted body parts obtained from up to 30 funeral homes in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia.

Vickers said that he drove to Louis Garzone's funeral home several times -- dissecting bodies and extracting veins, tissues and tendons -- on behalf of BTS.

The failed company has become the center of a nationwide scandal involving tainted body parts. The tissue company would pay funeral directors across the tri-state area up to $1,000 per body, Vickers said.

BTS would later receive as much as $7,000 per body, according to investigators. * * *

The state charged that the Garzones allegedly acted with "gross incompetence, negligence and misconduct over an 18-month period from 2003 to September 2005." * * *

That Grand Jury's action resulted in the recent criminal law developments, according to The Philadelphia Daily News' October 8th article:

These charges are "long overdue," said South Carolina attorney Kevin Dean, of Motley Rice LLC, who represents Norman Card, Sr., one of the 244 victims identified in the grand jury report.

"It's a victory for the families who've had their loved ones' human remains misappropriated," said Dean, who represents at least two victims whose remains were harvested, and 18 recipients in Pennsylvania who have received diseased tissue.

"But it's not broad enough to include all the people who are culpable," he said. * * *

Other reports recently tracked the Grand Jury's criminal indictments and the anticipated trials. See: "3 charged with selling body parts: Stolen bones, skin, tissue transplanted in unsuspecting patients worldwide", posted by MSNBC (10/04/07); and "Family files complaint in organ scandal", by David Gambacorta, posted by The Philadelphia Daily News (10/20/07).

In the article "Co-defendant sparring likely at body-parts trial", by Kitty Caparella, also posted by The Philadelphia Daily News (10/25/07), the scope of the pending proceeding was noted:

[On October 24, 2007,] Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina nixed a Municipal Court preliminary hearing -- a request by the prosecution that was opposed by the defense -- after hearing from both sides.

Sarmina, who served as the supervising judge for the grand jury in the case, was familiar with the evidence in the 111-page grand-jury presentment.

She ruled that she was bypassing the hearing because of the logistics involved: 200 witnesses expected to testify; the transport of witnesses from various parts of the country at great cost to the court, and a large number of defense attorneys.

Seven attorneys will represent five defendants, if a New York lawyer, Mario Gallucci, is permitted to join the case.

Sarmina oversaw the grand-jury investigation that charged five co-defendants and two businesses with more than 10,000 counts including operating a criminal enterprise during 18 months in 2004-05. * * *

The alleged illegal activity affected other countries, such as the United Kingdom. See: "Patients receive stolen bones: Forty British patients have been implanted with body parts stolen from US mortuaries".

Criminal actions are not the only consequence of the investigated activities. Civil actions, seeking damages against the perpetrators for the benefit of survivors, now follow.

On October 19, 2007, a Philadelphia law firm issued a press release entitled "Anapol Schwartz Files Philadelphia Civil Complaint for Son of Local Woman Whose Corpse was Allegedly Illegally Harvested for Bone/Tissue Transplantation", found online through PR Wire:

Anapol, Schwartz, Weiss, Cohan, Feldman & Smalley, P.C. filed a civil complaint today in the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court (Docket # 002538) on behalf of the son of a local woman whose corpse was allegedly illegally harvested for bone and tissue transplantation by Philadelphia-based cremation company, Liberty Cremation, Inc.

This is the latest in a spate of civil lawsuits stemming from the high profile body-parts scandal, in which a dentist, funeral home owners/directors and cremation companies in Pa., N.J. and N.Y. are being charged with pilfering bones and tissue from the dead. * * *

"These families and individuals have experienced undue suffering and pain. We must expose those responsible for such monstrous acts and hold them accountable," Larry Cohan said.

The Philadelphia complaint follows a New Jersey one, recently filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County (Docket # L7198-07) by Anapol Schwartz on behalf of a couple whose brother's body parts were allegedly illegally harvested. * * *

The Philadelphia Daily News articles had reported -- prior to the filing of the criminal & civil actions mentioned above -- that "[t]housands of lawsuits have been filed nationwide since 2005 when the Food and Drug Administration halted BTS' operation."

Update: 10/26/07 at 6:30 p.m.:

I just noticed that the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association, per Kathleen K. Ryan, Esq., its General Counsel & Chief Operating Officer, posted a formal statement in reaction to the scandal, entitled "A Statement From The Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association Concerning Recent Theft Of Body Parts".

She began by stating the disgust of that Association's members to the alleged criminal activities conducted by those few funeral directors in Philadelphia [Links added.]:
I believe I speak for each and every member of the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association (PFDA) when I say that we are appalled and disgusted by the alleged behavior and heinous abuse of the public trust involving the recent body part theft scandal. With their alleged actions, the Garzones and Mr. McCafferty have sullied the reputation of every funeral director in the state and the nation.

Our hope is that the public will recognize that the actions of these misguided men is an isolated incident and by no means represents the professional conduct of licensed funeral directors. * * *

The Pennsylvania State Board of Funeral Directors, which oversees and monitors licensed funeral directors, has already taken action against the Garzones and Mr. McCafferty. They have either had their licenses revoked or have surrendered their licenses and can not practice as funeral directors in the state of Pennsylvania.

Like the PFDA, the State Board is committed to the proper conduct of funeral directors, safeguarding the interests of the public and upholding the standards of the profession.

Update: 11/01/07:

Professor Gerry W. Beyer, author of the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog, noted my posting in one of his own on Thursday, November 1, 2007, entitled "Illegally harvested body-parts scandal distresses the nation".

"BODIES" in Pittsburgh, with Reactions

The Carnegie Science Center, in Pittsburgh, PA, announced that a touring museum exhibition, titled “BODIES …The Exhibition”, will be offered at CSC beginning October 8, 2007, through April 2008. The Exhibition stirred concerns held by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, which recently published its position.

The BODIES exhibition bears the tagline "A phenomenal look at the phenomenon we call the human body".

Its opening was promoted by CSC (one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh) in a Press Release, dated September 6, 2007, entitled "Tickets for BODIES Exhibition on Sale September 6".

Tickets go on sale today for the highly anticipated BODIES … The Exhibition at Carnegie Science Center. Due to the overwhelming popularity and subsequent long lines for BODIES in previous cities, the Science Center will begin selling timed tickets on September 6 at ticket counters, by calling 412.237.3400 or online at www.CarnegieScienceCenter.org.

The Exhibition will open its doors October 8 in a specially designed section of the SportsWorks™ facility at Carnegie Science Center.

BODIES provides visitors with an up-close look inside the body’s systems using real human body specimens. Many of the whole-body specimens are dissected in vivid athletic poses, allowing the visitor to relate to everyday activities.

In addition, authentic human specimens illustrate the damage caused to organs by lifestyle choices, such as over-eating and lack of exercise. A healthy lung is featured next to a black lung ravaged by smoking in a striking comparison more powerful than any textbook image.

The human body specimens in the Exhibition are preserved through a revolutionary technique called polymer preservation. In this process, human tissue is permanently preserved using liquid silicone rubber that is treated and hardened.

The end result is a specimen, preserved to the cellular level, showcasing the complexity of the body's many bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels and organs. The full-body specimens can take more than a year to prepare.

The Exhibition will be open daily from 10 am – 9 pm. Tickets can be purchased at Carnegie Science Center ticket counters, online or by calling 412.237.3400.

BODIES … The Exhibition was organized by Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Some display locations in addition to Pittsburgh are noted currently on its website:

• Domestic Displays: Branson, Missouri; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Las Vegas, Nevada; New York, New York; San Diego, California; & Washington, D.C.
• International Displays: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lisbon, Portugal; & Prague, Czech Republic.

The upcoming Pittsburgh presentation is described on web pages posted by CSC:

• About the Exhibition
• Share Your Thoughts
• Watch the Video
• Educator Information, including an "Educator Information Packet" (PDF, 9 pages).

More information about BODIES … The Exhibition can be gleaned from Frequently Asked Questions and Origin of the Specimens documents also posted by CSC.

The scheduled BODIES exhibition stirred concerns of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. Its responses were contained in a Statement from the Diocese of Pittsburgh on "Bodies . . . The Exhibition", dated September 14, 2007.

This Statement began with a general statement about the Catholic perspective on "bodies".

It is a fundamental Catholic understanding that the human person, composed of body and soul, is made in the image and likeness of God. The Church witnesses to this in many ways, including the requirement that the bodies of the deceased be given care, dignity and appropriate burial.

The Church has long supported the donation of bodies for scientific research and educational purposes as long as the bodies are treated with dignity and are not displayed for entertainment purposes or for profit alone. It is also critical that whenever possible, the previous permission of the deceased or family members has been obtained. * * *

That Press Release then considered the upcoming exhibition, in view of the Catholic perspective on human remains:

The exhibit features dozens of preserved cadavers in posed positions, fetuses in various stages of development, and other body parts. The bodies were obtained by Premier Exhibitions from the Dalian Medical University in China, a leading international institution in anatomical studies.

“BODIES … The Exhibition” has raised a number of concerns, most particularly the fact that the bodies were obtained without valid and informed consent. The bodies had been unclaimed and unidentified and were obtained by Dalian Medical University from Chinese police.

Representatives of the Diocese of Pittsburgh met with those involved in the exhibit at Carnegie Science Center to discuss the issues involved. All agreed that the educational benefits of “BODIES … The Exhibition” were clear. Additionally, the location of the exhibition allows manifold opportunities for reflection and exploration of the issues involved in the display, while making an extraordinary visual presentation of the dignity and miracle of human creation.

Our concern remained the source of the bodies, particularly when noting China’s record on human rights and mandatory abortion policies. The Carnegie Science Center supplied documentation and affidavits assuring that the bodies were of those who had died from natural causes and had been deceased and unclaimed for no less than four years. In addition, the bodies will be returned to China at the proper time for cremation or interment. Finally, we were assured that the fetuses had died naturally in utero and were not the result of abortions. * * *

Then followed the Diocese's recommendation to its members:

The Diocese of Pittsburgh recognizes the extraordinary opportunity this exhibit can provide in teaching on health issues, poverty and justice, and the dignity and sacredness of every human life.

“Bodies…the Exhibition” is also being held in the proper educational setting in a non-profit institution. Serious efforts will be undertaken to work with the Carnegie Science Center to provide further information and dialogue on the ethical and moral teachings of the Church concerning the human body. We hope that other faith communities will do the same.

With the assurances that the affidavits provide over the source of the bodies and fetuses, and the understanding that it is morally ethical that bodies unclaimed over a definitive period of time can be used for medical study and education, the Diocese of Pittsburgh concludes the following:

1. "BODIES … The Exhibition” can provide worthwhile and effective opportunities to promote learning and to explore issues in the natural sciences, morality and spirituality;

2. “BODIES … The Exhibition” is certainly not appropriate for all audiences. Individuals in general and parents in particular must consider their own and their children’s sensitivities when determining whether or not to attend the exhibit;

3. The discussion generated in the public arena in anticipation of this exhibit is a valuable one that has raised serious questions about the dignity of the human person and how that dignity is expressed, protected and promoted. We applaud this public discourse on a matter so important to the fostering of a good society. We encourage continued dialogue on these important topics and welcome the opportunity to participate in them over the course of the exhibit’s stay in Pittsburgh.

I agree that there should be public dialogue on such issues. This dialogue should include the important related topic of "end of life" treatment & decision making. Other denominations conduct such discussions presently. See: PA EE&F Law Blog post, "UCC to Study Physician-Assisted Death" (June 29, 2007).

The last posted pronouncement by the Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania about "living wills" occurred more than fourteen years ago. See: "Living Will for Proxy and Healthcare Decisions. (June, 1993). This predates significant Pennsylvania court decisions on these issues.

With the passage of Act 169 of 2006, effective on January 29, 2007, as new Chapter 54 ("Health Care"), of Title 20, of PA Consolidated Statutes, this publication also predates a sweeping change in Pennsylvania statutory law. See: PA HealthCare DecisionMaking website, and this Blog's "tag" for "End-of -Life Care".

Perhaps a starting point for an updated statement for Catholics would be the statement published by the Catholic Bishops of Florida, dated January 1, 2005, entitled "Understanding the Catholic Declaration on Life and Death".

The Catholic Declaration on Life and Death is a health care advance directive for Florida’s Catholics and is approved by the Bishops of Florida. This directive conforms to both Florida law and the teaching of the Church.

Despite that relatively recent statement of faith & law, the Florida Catholic Conference continues to explore these issues at its Statewide Florida Respect Life Conference, scheduled for October 12-14, 2007. See: "Respect Life: Witnessing the Sacredness of All Life" brochure (243 KB, PDF, 4 pages). That Conference begins with a session entitled "Theology of the Body".

Representatives of The Vatican also have made statements about the role of a "living will" in end-of-life decision making. See: PA EE&F Law Blog posting "Vatican Favors Living Wills" (11/28/06). See also: "A Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decisions -- An Explanation of Church Teaching on Advance Directives, Euthanasia, and Physician-Assisted Suicide", posted by Life Issues, as reproduced with permission from the The National Catholic Bioethics Center; and also, "End-of-Life Ethics -- Preparing Now for the Hour of Death", by Kenneth R. Overberg, S.J., posted by in the August, 2006 issue of the American Catholic Newsletter.

[Note: I reference these resources only as an an observer, being Protestant.]

Perhaps the upcoming discussions initiated in Pittsburgh around the BODIES exhibition could lead into additional discussions among Catholics in our state, that might manifest in posted guidance about end-of-life decision making under Pennsylvania's new law.

UPDATE: 09/24/07:

After posting this earlier today, I came across additional news reports or editorials regarding the BODIES exhibition. See:

• "Carnegie Science Center previews controversial 'Bodies' exhibit" -- Report by Monica Haynes, published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (09/07/07).

• "Science Center's 'Bodies' exhibit controversial" -- Report by Mike Cronin, published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (09/07/07).

• "Grief over 'Bodies' -- Opinion by David Snoke, published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (09/14/07).