Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
2003 book by Mary Roach
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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is a 2003 nonfiction book by Mary Roach. Published by W. W. Norton & Company, it details the unique scientific contributions of the deceased.
| |
| Author | Mary Roach |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Science, death |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Publication date | 2003 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Hardback |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 0-393-32482-6 |
| OCLC | 55230887 |
In the book, Roach gives firsthand accounts of cadavers, a history of the use of cadavers, and an exploration of the surrounding ethical/moral issues. She places each chapter's content into a historical context by discussing the history of the method of using a cadaver she is about to witness.
Stiff was a New York Times Best Seller, a 2003 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick, and one of Entertainment Weekly's Best Books of 2003. It also won the Amazon.com Editor's Choice award in 2003, was voted as a Borders Original Voices book, and was the winner of the Elle Reader's Prize.[1] Stiff has been translated into 17 languages, including Hungarian (Hullamerev) and Lithuanian (Negyvėliai).[2] Stiff was also selected for Washington State University's Common Reading Program in 2008–09.[3]
Topics covered
The book covers 12 topics:
- Practicing cosmetic surgery on cadaver heads
- Body snatching and the early years of human dissection
- The nature of decomposition
- Cadavers for use as crash test dummies
- Using cadavers to analyze a crash site
- Army tests on cadavers
- Crucifixion experiments
- Beating heart cadavers, the soul, and being buried alive
- Decapitation and human head transplant
- Cannibalism in the name of medicine
- New alternatives to burial and cremation
- The author's views on her own remains
