Death dwells in spaces: Bodies in the hospital mortuary

Horsley, Philomena

doi:10.1080/13648470802122040

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In one sense, they are 'placeholders for the living' (Roach 2003: 12), carrying a lived identity, a pre-existent personhood. But they are also medicine's ''machine-bodies'' (Leder 1998), as well as rotting waste (Horsley 2008). Hospital mortuary rituals, in contrast to funeral rituals, embody the essentials of scientific logic.…”

Section: Disciplining the Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching the Anatomy of Death: A Dying Art?

Horsley

2010

Medicine Studies

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Along with anatomical dissection, attendance at hospital autopsies has historically been seen as an essential part of medical education. While the use of the dead body for teaching purposes is losing favour in Australian medical schools, this shift is preceded by a significant decline in the rate of autopsies nationwide (and internationally). The decline of the autopsy has particular implications for pathology training where the capacity to perform an autopsy is a requirement. Rather than join the debates in medical literature about the merits of these shifts, this article goes behind the scenes of a hospital mortuary to study autopsy training and practice from the perspective of those who undertake it. The article first introduces the discipline of pathology-'the science of medicine'-which is built upon centuries of post-mortem study and establishes the fact of the disappearing autopsy. The article then draws upon data from anthropological fieldwork in a Department of Anatomical Pathology to discuss some of the ways trainees manage the work of cutting up the dead. Concepts such as detachment, immersion and disciplinary practice are covered in during this unveiling of everyday practice in a hospital mortuary.

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Section: Disciplining the Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching the Anatomy of Death: A Dying Art?

Horsley

2010

Medicine Studies

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“…The mortuary is often viewed as a place of mystery and is associated with sadness, grief, or repulsion (Brysiewicz 2007). While the number of qualitative studies on postmortem and the mortuary has increased (Horsley 2008(Horsley , 2012, few of these focus on the UK context (Woodthorpe and Komaromy 2013). Such studies also tend to focus their analysis on particular professions, most notably pathology and the different sub-specialisms within it, for example, anatomical (Horsley 2012), or forensic pathology (Timmermans 2006).…”

Section: Movement and Materiality: Ethnographic Research In The Mortuarymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The process of memory-making has long been a central focus of studies on babyloss and death and dying more generally (Garattini 2007;Hallam and Hockey 2001;Layne 2000;Miller 2010). While ethnographies of the mortuary have often explored the emotional labor involved in autopsy work (Horsley 2008(Horsley , 2012, less is known about the relationship between postmortem, the mortuary, and the broader process of memorialization. As will be explored in this section, by taking a go-along approach and following professionals beyond postmortem (both in the hospital and outside), we were able to highlight the importance of situating postmortem practice in the wider landscape of grief and memorialization.…”

Section: Movement and Memory: Walking And Talking Beyond The Hospitalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social research in the area of death and dying has emphasized the important intersection of material culture and place, particularly around bereavement and memorialization (Hockey, Komaromy, and Woodthorpe 2010;Maddrell 2016). Ethnographies based on the mortuary have tended to be acutely sensitive to location and to the sensory and material nature of the mortuary (Horsley 2008(Horsley , 2012. However, such studies have yet to fully investigate the different types of mobility that are often inherent within postmortem practice (such as movement of hospital staff, dead bodies, paperwork, etc.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Movement, Materiality, and the Mortuary: Adopting Go-Along Ethnography in Research on Fetal and Neonatal Postmortem

Reed

Ellis

2018

Journal of Contemporary Ethnography

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This article explores the use of the go-along method in research that takes place "behind closed doors" drawing on qualitative research on postmortem imaging. Often favored in community and urban studies, go-along consists of mobile interviews and observations with respondents in their own environments. We conducted go-alongs with various professionals-from pathologists to hospital chaplains-in a range of settings. We also tracked different forms of materiality in and out of the mortuary space. As the article seeks to show, goalong allowed us to appreciate the complex and mobile nature of postmortem, situating it within the wider landscape of bereavement and memorialization. It also enabled us to illuminate the ways in which the mortuary as a place cannot be fixed "indoors," but rather, is continually remade through different types of practice. Our analysis emphasizes the value of using go-alongs in indoor settings, and further reinforces a fluid conceptualization of place.

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“…In the medical context, sociologists and anthropologists have examined the medical profession (Atkinson 1995;Finkler, Hunter, and Iedema 2008;Fox 1992;Hahn 1985;Katz 1985;Millman 1976;Zetka 2003), hospital spaces such as mortuaries (Horsley 2008), pediatric wards , corridors (Long, Iedema, and Lee 2006), neonatal units (Mesman 2008;Vermeulen 2004), security (Patterson et al 2008), rehabilitation units (Warren and Manderson 2008), and nursing homes (Tinney 2008). In the medical context, sociologists and anthropologists have examined the medical profession (Atkinson 1995;Finkler, Hunter, and Iedema 2008;Fox 1992;Hahn 1985;Katz 1985;Millman 1976;Zetka 2003), hospital spaces such as mortuaries (Horsley 2008), pediatric wards , corridors (Long, Iedema, and Lee 2006), neonatal units (Mesman 2008;Vermeulen 2004), security (Patterson et al 2008), rehabilitation units (Warren and Manderson 2008), and nursing homes (Tinney 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Encountering the Familiar Unknown

Harris

2013

Journal of Contemporary Ethnography

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In their studies of doctors and hospitals, ethnographers have shown that medicine is practiced in local contexts. They have not, however, fully explored the processes involved when medical practitioners move between clinical settings. This article contributes to the study of medical work by looking at the adjustments international medical graduates must make to practice in Australian hospitals. These doctors are interesting to study ethnographically because, like many skilled migrants, they encounter workplaces similar, and simultaneously unfamiliar, to those they have known before. Drawing on the work of Merleau-Ponty, I develop the concept of "adjustment" as a movement between habit and the moment. My findings reveal how adjustment is both discursive and bodily, tied up with status and performance. Also, by focusing on the adjustments of migrant doctors, my study highlights the taken-for-granted aspects of medical practice and the environmentally situated nature of medical work.

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Death dwells in spaces: Bodies in the hospital mortuary

Cited by 16 publications

References 12 publications

Teaching the Anatomy of Death: A Dying Art?

Teaching the Anatomy of Death: A Dying Art?

Movement, Materiality, and the Mortuary: Adopting Go-Along Ethnography in Research on Fetal and Neonatal Postmortem

Encountering the Familiar Unknown

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