Month: January 2024

Typically associated with hospitals and medical centers, morgues are usually refrigerated drawer-like compartments large enough to hold an adult. They store bodies until they are positively identified or an autopsy is done.

Most people are familiar with morgues from movies and TV shows. But what do they really look like?

The Embalming and Preparation Area

While the mortuary does contain a morgue, the focus of a mortuary is not so much body storage but rather preparation for burial or cremation. This preparation includes washing, disinfecting and embalming the body.

Embalming is used to improve the appearance of the remains and can help to prevent deterioration in the days leading up to a funeral. It is not considered to be a long term preservative.

The process is accomplished by introducing a solution of embalming fluid into the blood vessels of the body. Typically, 3 gallons of this fluid will be circulated through the body for thorough disinfection and preservation.

Before this is done a doctor will examine the deceased for signs of disease or trauma and mark the body for proper placement of tubes. A tube will be inserted into the carotid artery and another into the jugular vein which allows the embalmer to inject chemicals directly into these blood vessels to replace blood. This is known as arterial embalming.

The Trays

Mortuaries are equipped with stainless-steel tables and refrigerated storage units. They must also contain a safety shower, eye and face wash equipment and handbasins for staff.

Besides being a place where embalming and preparation take place, the morgue is also used to conduct medical examinations on corpses before funerals or cremations. As a result, morticians need to be highly trained in preparing and conducting autopsies.

Mortuaries are often very busy and can be stressful places for employees. Because of this, it’s important that all employees practice safe handling procedures. It is also essential that all medical equipment, including trays, be sanitized on a regular basis. Any trays that are contaminated should be placed in a sharps container and taken away for proper disposal by a medical waste management company. This helps to reduce the risk of infection in both the mortuary and funeral home. In addition, it is a good idea for mortuaries and funeral homes to have geiger counters in case any of the corpses turn out to be radioactive.

The Sink

Mortuary work is sensitive and requires high levels of care and consideration. Your mortuary must provide essential equipment to ensure hygiene, safety and efficiency.

In this photo you can see a standard white mortuary tray and an autoclave (sink), used to sterilise tools. Also in the photo is a red ‘head block’, which helps to keep the head raised during embalming and prevents purging. You can also see the ‘draining sink’, which looks a bit like your bathroom or kitchen sink, and is used to drain blood and fluids during embalming.

A Morgue, also called a Mortuary Unit, is usually located within the hospital premises for storage of bodies for viewing and identification purposes. It is designed to serve the needs of hospital staff, relatives of the deceased and authorised persons. Enhanced security is provided for this area to keep the bodies safe from intruders and from public areas. It is well connected to Anatomical Pathology laboratories and relevant clinical areas for transportation of laboratory specimens, if required.

The Machine

The Machine is a secret society that reportedly controls student government elections and selects homecoming queen candidates. The group is a coalition of Panhellenic sororities and IFC and NPHC fraternities, and is supposedly backed by the state’s powerful alumni network. Fabien Zinga, a Black independent candidate for SGA president, claims he received racial threats from the Machine and that his campaign signs were defaced. Emails have been cited showing sororities and fraternities voting for Machine-backed candidates in exchange for privileges, including limousine transportation to vote and free drinks.

A freshman sorority member featured in the Bama Rush trailer says she is embarrassed for those still involved with the Machine. She believes student apathy is one reason Machine-backed candidates win, but wants the campus community to know what’s really going on behind closed doors. She adds that Machine members also infiltrate honor societies and campus organizations. Voters who go against the Machine’s wishes allegedly face personal and house-wide repercussions.

Graveyards are areas where people are buried. They may or may not be associated with a church.

Those who could afford to pay for a headstone would hire a stonemason to have the family name and dates of birth and death carved on it.

The word cemetery comes from Latin, meaning “burial place”. While the terms graveyard and cemetery are often used interchangeably, they have different definitions.

What is a Graveyard?

Many people use the terms graveyard and cemetery interchangeably, but on a technical level, there is a difference between the two. Graveyard is the older term, and it refers to a burial ground that adjoins a church. In the Middle Ages, wealthy and influential Christians were generally buried inside of a church in crypts beneath the floor, while less well-off congregants were buried outside in the churchyard.

When the old churchyards began to fill up, modern burial grounds called cemeteries were established. While some still have religious affiliations, they are not associated with a particular place of worship and can be used for members of any religion. Similarly, mausoleums are separate structures that may be located in either a cemetery or a graveyard. However, the word necropolis is also used to describe a large group of burial sites.

What is a Cemetery?

When someone dies, they are buried in a cemetery. That’s the big clue in its name: Cemetery means that it is a place set aside for burial. Originally, a cemetery was just part of a churchyard; the process of burying people was very tightly controlled by the church in Europe, and only members were allowed to be buried on their grounds.

As the population of European countries began to grow, these graveyards were overcrowded; the number of burials far outgrew their capacity. As a result, a new type of cemetery was developed, separate from churches, which could bury followers of different religions. The term “cemetery” was adopted from the Latin word koimeterion, meaning sleeping place or bedchamber. It is now the most common form of a final resting place.

What is the Difference Between a Graveyard and a Cemetery?

Although often used interchangeably, the terms graveyard and cemetery mean slightly different things. Graveyard is the older term, traditionally referring to a burial ground attached to a church or chapel. In the past, wealthy or influential Christians were generally interred inside a church, often in a crypt, while less-wealthy congregants were buried outside, in what was known as the graveyard.

However, as European populations began to increase and church graveyards became full, new burial grounds that were independent of churches appeared, which came to be known as cemeteries. Cemeteries are generally larger than graveyards, and are usually run by councils rather than religious organisations. They are also more likely to be open to people of all faiths and have more flexible rules about headstones.

What is the Difference Between a Churchyard and a Cemetery?

Despite their similarity, a graveyard and cemetery are not the same thing. The key difference is that a churchyard adjoins a church, and a cemetery does not. This is significant because it means that a churchyard is limited to people who belong to the same religion, while a cemetery can be open to anyone.

In addition, the term graveyard has a more rustic feel than a cemetery, as it is typically located on church grounds and may have older tombstones that aren’t perfectly manicured. For the sake of linguistic accuracy, you should avoid using the terms cemetery and graveyard interchangeably. Instead, refer to a churchyard as a resting place affiliated with a specific church and to a cemetery as a separate burial ground that is either public land through a city or town, or private property owned by an independent company like Arbor.

What is the Difference Between a Cemetery and a Necropolis?

During the Middle Ages, wealthy or influential Christians were generally laid to rest inside church premises in a crypt. Less wealthy congregants were buried outside in the churchyard, also known as a graveyard.

Necropolises are expansive burial sites that showcase societal and cultural values, with tombs and structures of varying size and complexity. They often contain a range of funerary objects, including urns, obelisks, or mausoleums for royalty, officials, and revered individuals.

While graveyard and cemetery are now used interchangeably, they are two distinct concepts. Historically, graveyards were confined to the church grounds, while cemeteries are larger pieces of land that may be public through the city or town or privately owned by an independent company like Arbor. Both have their own set of rules and regulations governing what goes into the graves and who can be buried there.