further reading
As wonderful as the world wide web is, the information in books is somehow more reliable, well at least it hasn't been written by someone (like me) typing away on their laptop in their kitchen. So here are some good books with chapters about cremation.
Chemistry of Death
(W E D Evans, 1963, Charles C Thomas. No ISBN). A technical treatment of the changes of body undergoes after death. Chapter 9 gives one of the most detailed descriptions of what happens to a body in the retort. Parts of it are quoted in a number of other books. Although the book was written in 1963, and cremation the technology has moved on, the basic process and the human body are unchanged so I think this description is valid. You may be able to get it on inter-library loan as I did - be prepared for odd looks from the librarian. Exert:
"Destruction of the soft tissues gradually exposes parts of the skeleton. The skull is soon devoid of covering, then the bones of the limbs appear, commencing at the extremities of the limbs where they are relatively poorly covered by muscle or fat, and the ribs also become exposed. The small bones of the digits, wrists and ankles remain united by their ligaments for a surprising length of time, maintaining the anatomical relationships even though the hands and feet may fall away from the adjacent long bones" p. 84
Encyclopedia of Cremation
(Eds Douglas Davis with Lewis Mates, 2005, Ashgate, ISBN 0 7546 3773 5 Amazon Link). Sounds like the ultimate cremation geek / nerd book. Which it is. See the graph on page 135 showing of volume of smoke and dust emitted against time during the cremation of a corpse. But more than this it analyses the meaning of cremation against its historical and social background. There are also entries on cremation in many different countries. Very much a pro-cremationist volume. Some exerts:
"Sociological research, also, has suggested that women are more likely to specifically mention cremation in their final bequests, which can be interpreted as their greater ease in reconciling themselves to death and loss of their bodies." (Gender p. 216)
"... it can be argued that the death instinct achieves its goal in a fashion as rapid as possible by reducing the body to its base inorganic elements through cremation ... Second, the process of cremation could be viewed as ab act in which the violent aspect of the thanatos principle is destroyed by what is done to the corpse in destroying it." (Freud p. 211)
Vigor Mortis
(Kate Berridge, 2002, Profile Press, ISBN 1 86197 411 6 Amazon Link). Looks at changing attitudes to death or how death became fashionable and sexy. The Chapter "Cleanliness versus Corruption" deals with cremation. It looks at the history of cremation in the UK and what it tells us about our views of death. Some exerts:
"Beside the cash register is a small ceramic pot with a label saying: 'MY DAD'S ASHERS ARE IN HERE'. Paula explains: 'He was in one of those coloured spaghetti jars over there but a woman came in saying she really wanted it and as it was the only one in that colour I poured my father into a small pot. I offered to wash out the jar he been in, but she said "Don't worry" and left with a bit of my dad'" (p. 122)
"A sad sign of human vanity is the fact that in crematoria in California there is a problem with the gloopy residue from silicon breast implants accumulating on the floor of the furnaces." (p. 216)
