Blog Post 3

Chapters 7-9

Summary of Events

Chapters 7-9 of Mary Roach's "Stiff" focused on how cadavers were used for religious breakthroughs, whether cadavers had a soul and the definition of death, and the role of cadavers have played in the quest for a successful human head transplant.

"In between life and death is a state of near-death, or pseudo-life. And most people don't want what's in between."

Analysis of Appeals

Logos: Mary Roach argues that cadavers have long been and continue to be essential figures in many developments and breakthroughs. Roach further explains this by stating that cadavers have played key roles in the development of safety features, such as those in motor vehicles, and in the discovery of the function of the human body. This has helped create a safer and more intelligent society because we now know how to treat and prevent injuries. Cadavers allow one to understand the limits of the human body without actually putting someone in danger as Dr. Makris claims "In order to be able to protect against a threat, whether it is automotive or a bomb, you have to put the human to its limits. You've got to get destructive". As a result, Mary Roach believes that donating one's body to science (or to other people for organ transplants) allows one to be helpful one last time by contributing to research that can change the world.

Ethos: Mary Roach established that she has always been keen on the idea that dying is not the end of your life. You can always leave your mark on the world because "there are other ways to spend your time as a cadaver. Get involved with science. Be an art exhibit. Become part of a tree...Death. It doesn't have to be boring". She is the type of person to dig deep and research something that she is curious about or appeals to her, which is exactly what she did after her mother passed away. Mary Roach contacted and met with many people who actually worked with cadavers in order to gain insight as to how cadavers affected the working environment and what they were being used for. This included Robert White whom Roach interviewed about his attempts at transplanting human brains in his "chaotic and exceptionally gruesome operation". She also researched the role cadavers had in the past and wrote about the experiments they were involved in such as the one Pierre Barbet conducted to validate the Shroud of Turin.

Pathos: