Dem bones

Last weekend, I started reading the book Forensic Detective by Robert Mann, Ph.D. Before that, I had reread the book Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William R. Maples, Ph.D. Both books are about forensic anthropology. I know this is not exactly a field I myself would ever pursue, but the subject really is quite fascinating. It’s really interesting to learn what happens to the human body after death, as well as matters of decomposition, disposal and how crimes have been solved just from the study of bones. I usually don’t watch the show CSI – though I have seen a few episodes – but this subject really does hold my interest. Because I have been in so many hospitals and been around so many doctors and nurses, I guess I should not be surprised this is something I am interested in. I have seen several patients in several different kinds of situations according to whatever they were going through and I’ve always been fascinated with human anatomy, diseases, sickness and treatment of injuries. Just today I saw the movie Lucy and it made me think about the whole “superhuman” issue.

While I was reading this book, I learned that there is a “bone bible” of sorts out there. A book detailing everything about every single bone in the human body. This book is called Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual by Dr. Bill Bass. I made a mental note to get my hands on this book. I have been interested in human anatomy for some time but I don’t have a copy of the Gray’s book. My daughter has a book about anatomy. And my son has always been curious about human anatomy.

As I have read this book, I have had moments where I would coil in disgust over what was shared, but I am really interested in this subject and continue reading the book. As I said, it’s really fascinating what happens to the human body after we die.

I have a cardboard skeleton hanging on the door for Halloween, and after I finished reading a chapter in the book today, I just stood there staring at the skeleton. I was thinking, No matter what we look like on the outside, this is what we ALL look like on the inside. I want to try to get a skeleton with all the bones labeled but, failing that, at least a book about them. I am interested in human anatomy, the names of all the bones, so I think coming across that info in the book has really piqued my interest and compels me to want to continue with that study and learn even more.