On Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:48:17 -0800, Darren New wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Looks like something we need to add to the reading list. :-)
> 
> It's funny mainly because of the way it's told. She's a reporter
> basically investigating how donated corpses are used. What happens when
> you donate your body to science?  But imagine Stephen Wright telling it.

It looks funny - I read the excerpt up on Amazon, and it did make me 
laugh quite a bit.  Another trip to the library is in order, I think.

> Like my favorite line: They're in the field, the author, the head of the
> facility, and Ron the chauffeur. They're walking around looking at the
> bodies decaying, the ones the police set out so they can document the
> differences between a body they find that's three days old and five days
> old. (You know, like when they ask the "estimated time of death"? That's
> how they know. :-)  So they look at one, and it's crawling with maggots.
> And the author writes "If you put your face up close (and I don't
> recommend this), you can hear them making a crackling noise, like rice
> krispies. I tell the director 'it sounds like rice krispies.'  Ron turns
> a bit green.  Ron used to like rice krispies."

LOL!  That is good....

> But the entire book contains gems like that. "He had interesting bottles
> of scent, used to train search dogs. They say the dogs can smell a bit
> of body six months after it's been sealed in concrete. I opened a small
> vial marked 'cadaverine', wondering what it was like. After we opened
> the windows, turned on the fan, and went out for some coffee, my host
> explained how it is they train the dogs."

Woah....

Jim

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