6 ms·

Public Dissection Was a Gruesome Spectacle

37 points by anarbadalov 8y ago

kalekold 8y ago
And it still happens today. Search for Dr. Gunther von Hagens series of public autopsies. These were broadcast in the UK a while ago and were extremely interesting.
- porpoisely 8y ago
  Also, mrs_angemi is coroner who posts interesting autopsy pics on instragam if people are interested in it. Also, it's odd how modern society wants to shield people from reality. Instead of reality and truth, we get disney.
  - JetSpiegel 8y ago
    > Also, mrs_angemi is coroner who posts interesting autopsy pics on instragam if people are interested in it. Suddenly, I'm not that hungry. You were telling the true, the first picture is a dead teenager.
    - joewee 8y ago
      I don’t want to look at the site, but is there a legal disclaimer that explains why this is legal?
      - xfitm3 8y ago
        Why would it be illegal?
      - JetSpiegel 8y ago
        The people are anonymised, the focus is on injuries themselves. Sometimes those are to the face. Seems ethically sound to me, it's probably an unvaluable resource for students. The general public will also ignore it mostly, it's not for the faint of heart.
  - zdragnar 8y ago
    The repulsion experienced viewing a corpse is one of the classic examples of "abject horror" (or so my college class would have me believe). While it is reality, it is still harsh and requires repeat exposure and mental training to overcome the natural resoonse for most.
- freeflight 8y ago
  His Body Worlds exhibitions [0] are also really worth a visit, at least if you can get past the massive creepy factor. Probably still way easier to stomach than an actual dissection. [0] https://bodyworlds.com/exhibitions/ https://bodyworlds.com/exhibitions/
RcouF1uZ4gsC 8y ago
One of the things that has happened to our society recently, is that we isolate ourselves from the messy details of our actions. In the past, if our society had capital punishment - it was done in public and society was exposed to it. Now, it is done in a private, almost clinical environment. Dissections now days are only ever really carried out in sterile anatomy labs. In the past, everyone who ate meat, probably was familiar with butchering an animal. Now, we eat meat that is nicely pre-packaged and are blissfully unaware of the details. This is the case even with war. In the distant past, if you went to war, it was a bunch or regular people who stabbed or slashed their opponents. Over time this became longer ranged with fire arms, bombs, artillery etc. Now, with no draft, we basically have a warrior class, and with the advent of combat drones, the operator can control a missile drone in a foreign country from their desk in the US.
- ataturk 8y ago
  Actually, it is barely done at all. Tar and feathering is another one that should be brought back--the Clintons and the other crime lords in our government would have second thoughts after the hot tar treatment. Don't get me started with the "warrior class"--a bunch of drunks, mainly. The MIC sucking the life out of our society for their endless wars.
- agumonkey 8y ago
  There's a clear gradient toward virtuality. Ultra HD, VR goggles, social network.. I see a natural process of risk/cost reduction at play. Nobody likes to die, nobody likes to have negative emotions due to social interactions .. the market boils the frog very nicely.
- onemoresoop 8y ago
  > In the past, if our society had capital punishment - it was done in public and society was exposed to it. I am grateful that capital punishment in the public is gone and gowning away away in places where it's still happening. This is not for everyone to see. Why gratify the curiosity of the curious? Once you see a person executed you're no longer the same person.
  - 8y ago
Symbiote 8y ago
Not humans, but the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen occasionally dissects large mammals for the public to view. A science museum in Copenhagen dissects eyes and "digestive systems" [1] too, possibly most days. (Ox eye, I don't know where the intestines are from.) [1] https://www.experimentarium.dk/demonstration/demonstration-dissektion-fordoejelsessystemet/ https://www.experimentarium.dk/demonstration/demonstration-d...
rhacker 8y ago
I know I'm being pedantic here, but "was" it gruesome at the time?

37 points by anarbadalov 8y ago

And it still happens today. Search for Dr. Gunther von Hagens series of public autopsies. These were broadcast in the UK a while ago and were extremely interesting.

porpoisely 8y ago
Also, mrs_angemi is coroner who posts interesting autopsy pics on instragam if people are interested in it. Also, it's odd how modern society wants to shield people from reality. Instead of reality and truth, we get disney.
- JetSpiegel 8y ago
  > Also, mrs_angemi is coroner who posts interesting autopsy pics on instragam if people are interested in it. Suddenly, I'm not that hungry. You were telling the true, the first picture is a dead teenager.
  - joewee 8y ago
    I don’t want to look at the site, but is there a legal disclaimer that explains why this is legal?
    - xfitm3 8y ago
      Why would it be illegal?
    - JetSpiegel 8y ago
      The people are anonymised, the focus is on injuries themselves. Sometimes those are to the face. Seems ethically sound to me, it's probably an unvaluable resource for students. The general public will also ignore it mostly, it's not for the faint of heart.
- zdragnar 8y ago
  The repulsion experienced viewing a corpse is one of the classic examples of "abject horror" (or so my college class would have me believe). While it is reality, it is still harsh and requires repeat exposure and mental training to overcome the natural resoonse for most.
freeflight 8y ago
His Body Worlds exhibitions [0] are also really worth a visit, at least if you can get past the massive creepy factor. Probably still way easier to stomach than an actual dissection. [0] https://bodyworlds.com/exhibitions/ https://bodyworlds.com/exhibitions/

RcouF1uZ4gsC 8y ago

One of the things that has happened to our society recently, is that we isolate ourselves from the messy details of our actions. In the past, if our society had capital punishment - it was done in public and society was exposed to it. Now, it is done in a private, almost clinical environment. Dissections now days are only ever really carried out in sterile anatomy labs. In the past, everyone who ate meat, probably was familiar with butchering an animal. Now, we eat meat that is nicely pre-packaged and are blissfully unaware of the details. This is the case even with war. In the distant past, if you went to war, it was a bunch or regular people who stabbed or slashed their opponents. Over time this became longer ranged with fire arms, bombs, artillery etc. Now, with no draft, we basically have a warrior class, and with the advent of combat drones, the operator can control a missile drone in a foreign country from their desk in the US.

ataturk 8y ago
Actually, it is barely done at all. Tar and feathering is another one that should be brought back--the Clintons and the other crime lords in our government would have second thoughts after the hot tar treatment. Don't get me started with the "warrior class"--a bunch of drunks, mainly. The MIC sucking the life out of our society for their endless wars.
agumonkey 8y ago
There's a clear gradient toward virtuality. Ultra HD, VR goggles, social network.. I see a natural process of risk/cost reduction at play. Nobody likes to die, nobody likes to have negative emotions due to social interactions .. the market boils the frog very nicely.
onemoresoop 8y ago
> In the past, if our society had capital punishment - it was done in public and society was exposed to it. I am grateful that capital punishment in the public is gone and gowning away away in places where it's still happening. This is not for everyone to see. Why gratify the curiosity of the curious? Once you see a person executed you're no longer the same person.
- 8y ago

Symbiote 8y ago

Not humans, but the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen occasionally dissects large mammals for the public to view. A science museum in Copenhagen dissects eyes and "digestive systems" [1] too, possibly most days. (Ox eye, I don't know where the intestines are from.) [1] https://www.experimentarium.dk/demonstration/demonstration-dissektion-fordoejelsessystemet/ https://www.experimentarium.dk/demonstration/demonstration-d...

rhacker 8y ago

I know I'm being pedantic here, but "was" it gruesome at the time?