Stiff by Mary Roach discusses the use of cadavers in the medical world once they have become deceased. The first chunk of reading discusses how cadavers are used in the medical world for cosmetology practice, surgical practice, also as crash test dummies. Roach further goes on to discuss how the cadavers are respected just as other human bodies are respected, and most medical institutes that use cadavers have a memorial service in honor of them. The biggest issue that Roach discusses in this paragraph is the lack of surgical practice in the medical world. The use of cadavers for medical practice is so controversial because many people choose when they die not donate their bodies to medical science when medicine really could use the bodies for studies and surgical practice among other things. If there were more cadavers donated for medical use then there would be less inexperienced surgeons preforming surgery on live humans because they would have had sufficient practice on dead humans. Additionally, cadavers are used for medical research on how much impact and force a body can take before it combusts. Though it may seem grotesque in nature it is actually beneficial for scientists to know so that they can deliver the information to automotive engineers among other things. If more cadavers were donated for such research about the strength of the body and its reaction to force then there could possibly be more survivors of car crashes and safer automobiles on the market. The use of the cadavers may seem very gross in nature, but it is actually for the future of the living human beings to use the cadavers for as much research as possible. Roach further argues that cadavers, though dead, are essentially the future of the world and because of that more people should consider donation.
Application: Some religions argue that preservation of the human body after death instead of donating it to science is the best choice. However, they fail to realize that cadaver studies can actually be beneficial to their lives. How could you effectively convince religious people that donatiing their body is a good option as well? What arguement would you use?
Style: In what ways does Mary Roach appeal to the emotion of the reader about the cadavers having no soul and how the students feel about the bodies? What rhetorical devices or phrasing does she use to get this message across?
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I am bias with this because cadavers should be used as experiments for medical or cosmetic purposes but at the same time, I wouldn't want my mom to be used a crash test dummy or her head cut off just for slicin'. That's kind of nasty. Mary Roach sure does use emotional appeal, when she gives examples of students who felt bad for dissecting the cadavers. I mean,it sounds kinda odd feeling bad for a body part(s) that has no life in it.. She used a little of cacophony, "....jump rope with his intestines"(pg.38) and uses figurative language when speaking of "Ben the Cadaver". (pg.39)
ReplyDeleteLOL I totally agree I have mixed emotions about it. I want to help with future medical research for people of the future but at the same time I wouldn't want a piece of my body in one place being practiced on and the other half of my body being blown up and tested for impact. Thats more than just kind of digusting and crude. I know its going to give scientific evidence for the future but its still a very confusing topic for me.
ReplyDeleteAn effective arguement would be that the donation of their bodies would help further the knowledge of the needed procedures throughout life. The connection to one's body is unneccesary because it will commence to decompositon once it is lowered into the ground. The more logical thing to do would be to donate it and get the most use.
ReplyDeleteRoach uses imagery and figurative language to appeal to the sense of emotion.