5 ms·

> I mean, so long as the person didn’t die of infectious disease their remains could probably be recycled in to the biosphere? Human bodies are full of parasi

> I mean, so long as the person didn’t die of infectious disease their remains could probably be recycled in to the biosphere? Human bodies are full of parasites and pathogens that are dangerous to humans: just because someone got hit by a car doesn't make their body sterile. That's one reason the BSE (mad cow disease) spread, feeding cows to other cows. It's also a reason we don't generally fertilize crops with human waste, although horse or cow manure works very well. So we probably can recycle human bodies, but there are extra genuine health concerns. One pretty safe way is to bury them in the ground and let them get eaten by worms - but as the article points out, even that comes with health risks.

selimthegrim 8y ago
How did the Japanese do it with night soil then? Did they burn it before using it as fertilizer?
- Nasrudith 8y ago
  Having a more or less vegetarian diet helps it some at least - less trophic layers since the diet is more akin to other herbivores although not as fibrous as grazers. Since fish was far less spread before advances in refrigeration and transportation those inland more would have been more subsidence farmer involuntarily vegan - let alone the increased acceptance of meat.
- dmurray 8y ago
  I don't know about the Japanese, but in Europe where this practice was common (certainly in London) one answer is simply that they tolerated more outbreaks of infectious disease. It's possible to make it safe through composting, but that requires more time and skill than a typical compost heap. Most composting authorities recommend keeping cat and dog faeces - less dangerous than human waste, but much worse than cow manure - out of the garden compost heap.
TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
If I recall correctly the BSE outbreak was due to using brains in feed. I agree with your general point about extra genuine health concerns.
- robotresearcher 8y ago
  > feeding [components of] cows to other cows.

selimthegrim 8y ago

How did the Japanese do it with night soil then? Did they burn it before using it as fertilizer?

Nasrudith 8y ago
Having a more or less vegetarian diet helps it some at least - less trophic layers since the diet is more akin to other herbivores although not as fibrous as grazers. Since fish was far less spread before advances in refrigeration and transportation those inland more would have been more subsidence farmer involuntarily vegan - let alone the increased acceptance of meat.
dmurray 8y ago
I don't know about the Japanese, but in Europe where this practice was common (certainly in London) one answer is simply that they tolerated more outbreaks of infectious disease. It's possible to make it safe through composting, but that requires more time and skill than a typical compost heap. Most composting authorities recommend keeping cat and dog faeces - less dangerous than human waste, but much worse than cow manure - out of the garden compost heap.

TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago

If I recall correctly the BSE outbreak was due to using brains in feed. I agree with your general point about extra genuine health concerns.

robotresearcher 8y ago
> feeding [components of] cows to other cows.