Morgue

Morgue
One of the entrances of the Victoria Public Mortuary, in Hong Kong

A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise. In modern times they have customarily been refrigerated to delay decomposition.

Contents

Etymology and lexicology

The term morgue is derived from the French morgue, which means 'to look at solemnly, to defy'. First used to describe the inner wicket of a prison, where new prisoners were kept so that jailers and turnkeys could recognise them in the future, it took on its modern meaning in fifteenth century Paris, being used to describe part of the Châtelet used for the storage and identification of unknown corpses.

Morgue is predominantly used in North American English, while mortuary is more common in British English, although both terms are used interchangeably. The euphemisms "Rose Cottage" and "Rainbow's End"[1] are sometimes used in British hospitals to enable discussion in front of patients, the latter mainly for children.

A person responsible for handling and washing bodies is now known as a diener, morgue attendant, or autopsy technician.

Types of cold chambers

There are two types of mortuary cold chambers:

Positive temperature

Bodies are kept between 2°C (36°F) and 4°C (39°F). While this is usually used for keeping bodies for up to several weeks, it does not prevent decomposition, which continues at a slower rate than at room temperature.[2]

Negative temperature

Bodies are kept at between -10°C (14°F) and -50°C (-58°F). Usually used at forensic institutes, particularly when a body has not been identified. At these temperatures the body is completely frozen and decomposition is very much reduced.[citation needed]

Mortuaries across the world

The first morgue in New York City, opened in 1866 at Bellevue Hospital

In some countries, the body of the deceased is embalmed before disposal, which makes refrigeration unnecessary.

In many countries, the family of the deceased must make the burial within 72 hours (three days) of death, but in some other countries it is usual that burial takes place some weeks or months after the death. This is why some corpses are kept as long as one or two years at a hospital or in a funeral home. When the family has enough money to organize the ceremony, the corpse is taken from the cold chamber for burial.

In some funeral homes, the morgue is in the same room, or directly adjacent to, the specially designed ovens, known as retorts, that are used in funerary cremation. Some religions dictate that, should a body be cremated, the family must witness its incineration. To honor these religious rites, many funeral homes install a viewing window, which allows the family to watch as the body is inserted into the retort. In this way, the family can honor their customs without entering the morgue.

Waiting mortuary

A Waiting mortuary is a mortuary building designed specifically for the purpose of confirming that deceased persons are truly deceased. Prior to the advent of modern methods of verifying death, people feared that they would be buried alive. To alleviate such fears, the recently deceased were housed for a time in waiting mortuaries, where attendants would watch for signs of life. The corpses would be allowed to decompose partially prior to burial. Waiting mortuaries were most popular in 19th century Germany, and were often large ornate halls.

A bell was strung to the corpses to alert attendants of any motion. Although there is no documented case of a person being saved from accidental burial in this way,[3] it is sometimes erroneously believed that this was the origin of the phrase "Saved by the bell", whilst in fact, the phrase originates from the sport of boxing.[4]

Alternative meanings

In American English:

  • Morgue is used to refer to the room in which newspaper or magazine publishers keep their back issues and other historical references, as they serve a similar purpose to human morgues. See Morgue file.
  • Mortuary can also be used to refer to a funeral home.

See also

References

  1. ^ BBC documentary - Fry's Planet Word: Episode 3: "Uses and Abuses" 9 Oct 2011
  2. ^ Zentralblatt der allgemeine Pathologie; 1957 May 4; 96(5-6):280-86; NIH.gov
  3. ^ Roach, Mary (2003). Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-32482-6. 
  4. ^ Saved by the bell at Phrases.org

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • morgue — 1. (mor gh ) s. f. 1°   Contenance sérieuse et fière. •   Morgue de magistrat rébarbatif, sévère, Qui ne dément jamais son grave caractère, DUFRÉNY Mar. fait et rompu, I, 2. 2°   Orgueil et suffisance. •   T ai je tracé la vieille à morgue… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • morgué — morgué, ée 1. (mor ghé, ghée) part. passé de morguer1. 1°   À qui on fait la morgue. Morgué par un fat. 2°   Qui fait la morgue. •   Monseigneur paraissait rêveur et morgué, SAINT SIMON 271, 156. •   Je vis mettre le roi à table, il me sembla… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Morgue — ist ein älterer Begriff für ein Leichenschauhaus (auch englisch the morgue und französisch la morgue); ein Gedicht von Rainer Maria Rilke in Neue Gedichte (1907); Morgue und andere Gedichte ist der Titel der ersten Lyriksammlung von Gottfried… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • morgue — (n.) mortuary, 1821, from Fr. Morgue, originally a specific building in Paris where bodies were exposed for identification: There is, in the most populous part of the French metropolis, an establishment entitled La Morgue, destined for the… …   Etymology dictionary

  • morgue — [mo:g US mo:rg] n [Date: 1800 1900; : French; Origin: Morgue, name of a morgue in Paris] 1.) a building or room, usually in a hospital, where dead bodies are kept until they are buried or ↑cremated = ↑mortuary 2.) a place that has become very… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Morgue — Morgue, n. [F.] 1. A place where the bodies of dead persons are kept, until they are identified, or claimed by their friends; a deadhouse. [1913 Webster +PJC] 2. (Newspapers) A room containing reference files of older material in a newspaper… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Morgue — [mɔrk], die; , n [ mɔrgn̩; frz. morgue, urspr. = Raum im Gefängnis, in dem die Identität der Häftlinge überprüft wird, viell. zu älter: morguer = mit Hochmut behandeln]: Leichenschauhaus (in Paris) …   Universal-Lexikon

  • morgue — / mȯrg/ n: a place where the bodies of persons found dead are kept until identified and claimed by relatives or released for burial or autopsy Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • Morgue — [mɔrg] die; , n [ mɔrgn̩] <aus gleichbed. fr. morgue> Leichenschauhaus [in Paris] …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • morgue — [ mɔrg ] noun count a building or room where dead bodies are kept temporarily like a morgue OFTEN HUMOROUS without much noise or activity …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • morgue — sustantivo femenino 1. Área: medicina Depósito de cadáveres: Los cuerpos de las víctimas fueron trasladados por orden judicial a la morgue …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

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