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Original poster

To ask those of you who watched mummifiying Alan Billis....

42 replies

MrBloomsNursery · 25/10/2011 21:54

You know that part where the "Body Farm" people were showing that "thing" that was being eaten by maggots? Was that a real human being? Or an animal? They showed teeth, and they looked like human teeth....

Only caught parts of the programme, and can't bring myself to watch it on 4OD.

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Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 25/10/2011 22:13

Also, I don't understand how Alan Billis had maggots in his ear after being dried from the natron bath. It's strange..flies must get everywhere.

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StetsonsAreCool · 25/10/2011 22:15

That's what I thought! But I had missed a bit, so I thought it must have been explained in the programme. It was a really interesting documentary [morbid face]

perfumedlife · 25/10/2011 22:22

The body with maggots, it could have been the corpse of a very large person, it was sort of placed slumped over from the waist. There is gas too from the corpse which could cause it to 'enlarge' I've heard. But agree, was really grim. Stiill, they do valuable work, useful for finding time of death and so on.

I've donated all my organs but after last night, wonder if they want the left overs to mummify and practice on.

Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 25/10/2011 22:22

It really was interesting! I missed parts at the start and middle. They didn't explain how flies got inside his ears. I would have thought it would have been near impossible as he was in lab conditions.

The end result was just amazing.

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Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 25/10/2011 22:25

That's really interesting perfumed. Would you like your body mummified in that way?

You know, I thought the ancient egyptians knocked out the brain from the nose and removed all the organs and placed them in "canopic jars" and then mummified the body. But the x-rays of the Queen Tie had her brain still in place. I feel cheated about what I was taught in school.

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perfumedlife · 25/10/2011 22:26

I think after the salt bath the body was left in a humid room for several weeks which had fly killer lights on the wall. They were concerned that this could be the time larvae got at him, even though it was lab type condition. The eggs get everywhere, can even be in the linen they wrap with am sure. Maybe were already in the ear from pre death! Shock

StetsonsAreCool · 25/10/2011 22:28

It was spectacular. I thought the same thing about the brain thing too.

Love your name btw. Tis my DD's favourite programme Blush

StetsonsAreCool · 25/10/2011 22:29

And ewww, perfumed. Pre death maggots

perfumedlife · 25/10/2011 22:31

I think so MrBlooms . I have no attachment to the body once it's dead, iykwim. Gave up Catholicism as a child, don't worry about cremation or dumped at sea or wherever, just think the body should be useful to science if atall possible. Not sure the embalming thing is very forward thinking right enough, but they could do what they like with it.

They did usually draw the brain out the nose, I think he said it was only really the royalty they kept intact incase they needed it in the next life.

Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 25/10/2011 22:32

Ugh!! Imagine all those lovely fly eggs we may have in our ears right now Wink!!
Thanks stetsons...It was DD's favourite for about 3 months too when it first started, but she grew out of it really quickly!

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Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 25/10/2011 22:38

perfumed I am sure after that documentary there will be loads of people wanting the same thing. I wonder if this is the start of a new way for people to choose to be "put to rest" after death...there's burial, cremation, mummification.

I feel the need to brush up on my egyptology now!

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perfumedlife · 25/10/2011 22:42

Bet it costs a fortune though MrBlooms, all that oil, resin, salt, drying and so on. Labour intensive, not for the likes of us plebs Grin

I'd be happy to be slung in the back garden in a bin bag really.

Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 25/10/2011 22:45

Body Farm for you then!!! Grin It would only cost your a plane ticket to Tennesee!

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cece · 25/10/2011 22:46

I loved the program and found it very interesting.

DH couldn't watch it though!

perfumedlife · 25/10/2011 23:00

Grin We really are too squeamish about death now though, we act like it's never going to happen to us and we hide it away and in doing so actually make it seem scarier than need be. What do others think?

Or am I a ghoul? [hwink]

Original poster
MrBloomsNursery · 25/10/2011 23:15

Perfumed, I started watching the documentary yesterday thinking I will close my eyes and not end up watching the actual mummification process. But I didn't get scared at all...apart from when I saw the maggots, but even then I thought it was an animal so didn't think much of it for some reason.

I think you're right. We do associate death with things like zombies or vampires, when in actual fact it is just another natural process.

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pigletmania · 25/10/2011 23:19

It was grim but interesting at the same time. Nah I want to be cremated.

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