Forensic Anthropological Soap Operas

My mother used to be able to sit through a half dozen episodes of CSI back in the day. That's part of the reason why I don't watch it now (that and I don't have regular t.v.). As I type this I am watching a similar CSI series called Bones. Having gone through an anthropology class, this show entertains on a higher level for me. I'm nowhere close to being a forensic geek, but when the "squints" bring in bodies for dissection and investigation, I get hooked. It's amazing what knowing a tiny bit about forensic sciences will do.

Leading from what I enjoy to what makes me glad that I don't have regular television: drama. We all enjoy watching people fight, love, cry and show happiness. Watching the main characters interact with each other brings us back to watch more episodes. For Bones, the price of prime time is the compacting and watering down of the forensic sciences. Instead of more explanation on why repeated blunt force trauma to the viscerocranium is the cause of death for the victim of the hour, the writers replace lab time with social hob-knobing. Of course the writers have to entertain to keep the shows ratings, but is this "dumbing down" of deep subjects hurting us? Are we as a society dumbing everything to make it marketable? Generations from now I hope we won't be drooling, brainless entertainment zombies. Or maybe I'm making a huge deal out of nothing.

Digging Up Old Things

Since it's been a while since I've posted anything here, I thought I'd start with an interesting story. This one is a longer post, so stay with me.

There once was a young revolutionary from Poland named Casmir Pulaski. His hearts desire was to see oppression wiped out. He joined the cause of colonials in their Revolutionary War.  He fought under George Washington, but later became one of the first Calvary Commanders in America. One day, after 2 years of winning battle after battle, Pulaski was mortally wounded. He was taken to a naval medical ship near Greenwich Plantation. His surgery was a success, but he later died of gangrene.

Years after the war was won, his monument was going to be renovated. There was an idea that Pulaski's remains were somewhere underneath that monument. There were also rumors that he was buried at sea. They found him in a box labeled "Casmir Pulaski" underneath the monument. Tests were done and scientists were sure it was him. The only problem was that some of the remains matched anatomical characteristics of a female. Forensic anthropologists dug deeper to make sure they had Pulaski. They found out more about his body through history, but one thing continued to puzzle them: his pelvic remains were female. To this day they would not publish their true conclusions because of what they found.

Could he have kept those under him in the dark up until his surgery? It's a likely possibility. The doctor would have had to take off his clothes. Once they found out the question of ruining his legend might have come up,which might explain the story of a burial at sea. If his family hid the truth during his lifetime they would have to keep others from learning the truth. The larger discussion for today would be gender confusion and how to deal with it. There are stories of people having to choose the child's gender and having to stay with it for fear of others seeing there offspring as a freak of nature. Maybe Pulaski thought he could not be allowed to help or command if he was female. So many questions.

On Being Buried Alive

"There have been some documented cases of people being buried alive. So, my question is... they would be dead once all of the mortician practices are done, right?"

*laughter*

"I hope so!"

*laughter*

"Yah, that would be unfortunate."

This conversation was funny in class, but the subject scares the crap out of me. It makes me wonder why we joke about these things, or even make movies out of them.

Burn, Crush, Grind

Last week during my anthropology class, I had second thoughts on being cremated. We learned about funerary practices, and how much really goes into making the dead look decent while organisms are literally taking them apart. The choices in practices vary from short-term burial (after which the body might be donated to science), to eco-friendly composting. As I mentioned earlier, cremation was my main interest, until I learned the following:

Step 1: The Mortician places the body in a furnace that can get up to 1800 degrees Celsius, for 1-3 hours. This is basically to rid the body of its flesh.
Step 2: The dried bones are crushed by a type of compacting machine.
Step 3: Crushed remains go through a magnetized area that collects any metals that might have been inside the body.
Step 4: What's left is put in an industrial grinder.
Step 5: The "ashes" are collected and placed into whatever jar or container the deceased purchased.

Death isn't glamourous. I want a more personal send-off than a computerized process, so I have decided to be buried in a shroud. Seems strange, but much cooler.

On Race and Anthropology

In class, when asked what the definition of race is a student replied that race is unnecessary. For a long time I have been battling with myself, and others on what race is and if such a classification is necessary. Here are a couple of notes from class. Share and comment, but use your brain when doing so.

• Breeding isolation creates race based on geography, ethnicity, language group, nationality and religion. 
• Things that can dissolve race: migration, war, slavery, exploration, immigration.

It's a surreal thing to hold pieces that used to belong to someone. Already I have met a man who survived a shotgun shelling, only to die later of old age. Pellets peppered his right side and some are still in the bone.  What brought about the shelling? A small dispute over who was the owner of an 80's model Pontiac Firebird.

Blog on what?

This blog's subject is bones. Well, not really. Forensic Anthropology is the application of physical anthropology and osteology, the study of the human skeleton. I am taking a Forensic Anthropology class, and I am more interested in the correct forensic procedures and its science, as opposed to television shows such as CSI. For that reason, I am posting my interesting forensic findings. Feel free to share what you discover with me.