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- This article is about a repository for the temporary storage of human remains. For Mortuary, a film directed by Tobe Hooper, see Mortuary (film).
A morgue or mortuary is a building or room (as in a hospital) used for the storage of human remains.
Morgue is predominantly used in American English, whilst mortuary is more common in British English. (Mortuary is also often synonymous with funeral home in American English.) The euphemism Rose Cottage is widely used in British hospitals to enable discussion in front of patients, relatives and visitors without disturbing them. The term morgue is derived from French morguer, to look at solemnly, to defy. The term was first used to describe the inner wicket of a prison, where prisoners were kept for some time, that the jailers and turnkeys might view them at their leisure, so as to be able to recognize them when occasion required. Relating to dead people, the name was first given to a building in Paris which in the middle of the fifth century was part of the Châtelet and was used for the keeping and identification of unknown corpses.
Probably because it is in a sense where the "dead bodies" are kept, the term morgue is also used in the United States to refer to the room where newspaper or magazine publishers keep their back issues and other historical references.
Morgues have been constructed in all large cities in the United States; in Boston (1851), in New York City, (1866), in Chicago, (1872), etc.
Cold chamber temperature
There are two types of morgue cold chambers:
- Positive temperature 36/39°F (+2/+4°C): This is the most common type, used for keeping the bodies a few days or a few weeks. Decomposition of the corpse continues at a reduced rate.
- Negative temperature -5/-13°F (-15°C/-25°C): This is used for forensic institutes for bodies which have not yet been identified. The body is completely frozen, completely halting decomposition.
Usage
The mortuary cold chamber is used to keep the deceased as long as is necessary for identification purposes, or prior to post-mortem examination, or while awaiting burial.
In many countries, the family of the deceased must make the burial within 72 hours, but in some countries (in Africa, for example) it is usual that the burial takes place some weeks or some months after the death. This is why some corpses can be kept as long as one or even two years at the hospital or in a funeral home. When the family has enough money to organise the burial ceremony, they take the corpse from the cold chamber.
In some funeral homes the morgue is in the same room, or directly adjacent to the specially designed ovens used in funerary cremation known as retorts. Some religions dictate that should a body be cremated, the family must witness its incineration. To honor these religious rights many funeral homes install a glass viewing window which allows the family to watch as the body is inserted into the retort. In this way the family can honor their customs while remaining outside of the morgue.
In many countries, the body of the deceased is embalmed, which makes refrigeration unnecessary.
Waiting Mortuary
A Waiting Mortuary is a mortuary building designed specifically for the purpose of confirming that deceased persons are truly deceased. Prior to the advent of modern methods of verifying death and the fear that one would be buried alive, waiting mortuaries would house the recently deceased and employ attendants who would watch for signs of life. Some waiting mortuaries attached strings connecting fingers to bells. Waiting mortuaries were most popular in 19th century Germany, and were often large ornate halls. The corpses would be allowed to partially decompose prior to burial. It is believed that there is not a single case of a person being saved in this way.See also
Морга | Márnice | Leichenhaus | Morgue | Mortuarium | Necrotério | 殮房
"Morgue"