An amusing and informative study of corpses. Not a sentence I ever expected to write.

This is a book that digs into both the biology and the sociology of how we treat the dead. This includes the various uses made of cadavers over the year, from modern medical education to potions and “cures” made from mummies. Along the way we also get a discussion of different funeral practices being proposed by generations of free-thinkers and how they do (and don’t) get adopted by wider society. In many ways it’s amazing the the taboo against dissection and associated practices was ever overcome: it seems to be an almost universal belief that the dead should be disposed of whole.

While the content is fascinating, the writing style grates on me. I understand the need for some levity in dealing with a topic that has the potential to be offensive or distressing in equal means – but I wish Roach could have resisted the temptation to quip every third paragraph (it feels like). It feels forced.

3/5. Finished Sunday 23 March, 2025.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)