David's first autopsy
Webworm goes deep... and in search of new readers
"The sun is just beginning to rise as I complete my first autopsy." is quite the opening line.
David Farrier, as usual, ends up in unexpected places, and has made this article public: a taste of Webworm to encourage new readers.
He has a talent for finding the unusual, or the unusual has a talent for finding him, but no matter how bizarre the subject always approaches things in a sensitive manner.
David Farrier
Note: Interesting read and open to all this Webworm article discuss autopsies and can get a little graphic at times.
It prompted me to think of a few other recent, not so recent encounters, and future, thoughts on the end-of-life thing:
History of Concrete, NZ see it while you can
This movie has some interesting scenes about the funeral industry, preserving tattooed people's memory, and—of course—concrete!
I saw it in the Film Festival but there are currently limited screenings around NZ now.
My body for science (if they want it!)
I've arranged for my body to go, if they want it, to the UoA Medical School.
It's a simple process, most important to let those close to you know as time is of the essence when the inevitable happens. There are criteria regarding your state at the time—check out the link below—but if I meet them, it's back to school one day...
Judy Melinek on forensic pathology
I first heard Dr Judy Melinek—with Laurie Kilmartin and Dr. Jen Gunter—back in 2019 on Probably Science from San Francisco Sketchfest.
Episode 326 - Live from SF Sketchfest with Laurie Kilmartin, Dr. Judy Melinek and Dr. Jen Gunter!
Professional comedians with so-so STEM pedigrees take you through this week in science. Incompetently. Featuring Matt Kirshen, Andy Wood, Jesse Case and guests. in 2019 Andy and Matt travel to SF Sketchfest to be joined by the hilarious Laurie Kilmartin (@anylaurie16), Dr. Judy Melinek (@drjudymelinek) and Dr. Jen Gunter (@DrJenGunter) and discuss autopsies, forensic pathology, debunking GOOP, Twitter being a dick to Laurie, doctors taking on the NRA, reproductive rights and Dr. Melinek's book Working Stiff.
It was amazing to meet both Judy and TJ Mitchell at the 2022 NZ Skeptics Conference in Wellington. She came to NZ—in the middle of COVID lockdowns—to fill a Chief Forensic Pathologist vacancy in Wellington.
Their talk —'The Working Stiffs: Forensics and Fiction by Judy Melinek & TJ Mitchell'—covered forensic pathology process and how Judy's work informs both her & TJ's writing, fiction and non–fiction.
Just two months before the September 11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Judy Melinek began her training as a New York City forensic pathologist. While her husband and their toddler held down the home front, Judy threw herself into the fascinating world of death investigation—performing autopsies, investigating death scenes, counselling grieving relatives.
Working Stiff chronicles Judy’s two years of training, taking readers behind the police tape of some of the most harrowing deaths in the Big Apple, including a firsthand account of the events of September 11, the subsequent anthrax bio-terrorism attack, and the disastrous crash of American Airlines Flight 587.
Read More
RNZ
From RNZ Saturday Morning, 10:30 am on 27 March 2021
