Burning the dead, or, Urn sepulture : religiously, socially, and generally considered : with suggestions for a revival of the practice, as a sanitary measure / by a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Burning the dead, or, Urn sepulture : religiously, socially, and generally considered : with suggestions for a revival of the practice, as a sanitary measure / by a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    Pliny enumerated concern for the dead body among the weaknesses peculiar to man; but it is a natural weakness, and can be no more easily over- come now, than it could eighteen hundred years ago. From the intimate connexion between the soul and body, existing from the time of birth, from the fact of their actually being one during life, and our inability thoroughly to realize the idea of their entire separation until this is really effected by the hand of Death, and from our always., until that moment, having regarded the familiar form itself as the actual man or woman, we cannot help feeling for the forsaken body a deeper and more affectionate interest than it is possible to conceive for any other lifeless thing. Although, alas! it is but as an empty and shattered casket, from which the jewel is removed for ever. We know, however, that it must decompose and fall to atoms, for its elements are required for other purposes ; surely, out of consideration for the health of the living, we should desire this decomposition to be effected as speedily as possible, and for other obvious reasons, in a manner as little distressing to the feelings as can be adopted. Which, then, is really the most offensive, the idea of Burning, or of Burial and corruption ? nasty custom of interment makes the idea of a dead friend more unpleasant. We think of the grave, corruption and worms. Burning would be much better. E 2