Some funeral homes use the term morgue in their name despite not having a morgue on-site. These facilities tend to offer a full-service experience in serene and opulent surroundings, as well as provide chapels and gathering spaces to host services.
They may also sell caskets and urns. Mortuaries, on the other hand, focus on mortuary science and typically have a less extensive set of offerings.
What is a morgue?
A morgue is a facility where bodies are stored temporarily until they can be identified, autopsied, or prepared for burial or cremation. It is typically located in hospitals or medical examiners’ offices. Funeral homes also have their own refrigeration units, but they are not considered to be morgues because they don’t usually store bodies for long periods of time.
When a person dies in the hospital they are brought to a morgue so that the medical examiner can perform an autopsy on the body and to make sure the death was not due to violence or suspicious circumstances. The length of time that the body remains in a morgue depends on local laws and regulations and can range from days to weeks or even longer.
Morgue workers include forensic pathologists or physicians, who perform the autopsies; morgue technicians or assistants, who help prepare and preserve bodies; and, sometimes, forensic investigators who assist with investigations. Most of these workers are certified in mortuary science, which teaches them how to handle and examine bodies for signs of life and the various causes of death.
What is a mortuary?
Mortuaries are focused on the science of preparing and sheltering the dead. Unlike funeral homes, they don’t usually interact with families and provide limited services like viewings or memorials. Some mortuaries are affiliated with funeral homes, while others operate independently. A mortuary also often focuses on burial or on-site cremation, while funeral homes can offer a wide variety of end-of-life services and opulent settings that are more centered on family comfort.
Many death-care providers – including Myers Mortuary in Utah – use the word mortuary to describe their businesses, despite the myth that it is synonymous with a bare-bones operation. Myers and other funeral homes that choose to call themselves mortuaries cite the tradition of the term as their reason for selecting it. However, other providers who have opted to use the term funeral home instead have not cited any specific tradition in favor of their choice of nomenclature. The decision appears to be purely a matter of preference and region.
What is the difference between a morgue and a mortuary?
Many people have seen morgues in movies and TV shows, but those depictions don’t always provide an accurate depiction of a true mortuary. A true morgue is typically located within a hospital or medical center, and it’s a refrigerated room with drawer-like compartments where bodies are stored temporarily until they can be identified, autopsied or disposed of.
Mortuaries are also where embalming services are performed, and they’re where families often go to see the body before a funeral service or burial. Some mortuaries are even known to perform on-site cremations.
Often, a mortuary will have a chapel onsite where memorial services can be held. However, most of the time a funeral home or crematorium will be responsible for planning a full-service memorial service, and they’ll often work with a mortuary to transport the body from the morgue to the funeral home. The difference is primarily that funeral homes are able to offer more of a full-service experience, and they’re able to assist grieving families throughout the entire end-of-life process.
What is the difference between a morgue and a crematorium?
Most people have seen morgues depicted in movies and TV, but often the depictions are not accurate. A morgue serves a very specific and practical purpose – it’s where bodies are stored temporarily until they can be identified, an autopsy performed or the body is transported for disposition. Usually, the morgue is located within or adjacent to a hospital or medical center. It may also be found at retirement homes and hospice care facilities.
A crematorium, on the other hand, is a full-service funeral home that can offer viewings, memorial services and burial options as well as cremation. It can even have a chapel onsite and hold services before the cremation process occurs. At Green Cremation Texas, our cremation services are both practical and personal. We’re available 365 days of the year to walk you through any questions or concerns you might have. Call, text or email us today. We’re here to help you through the most difficult of times.