After We Die

Norman L. Cantor is a distinguished professor emeritus at Rutgers Law School, Newark, who taught in the fields of constitutional law, contracts, and bioethics. He has published widely in legal and medical journals on the topic of the legal handling of dying medical patients, and is the author of three books: Making Medical Decisions for the Profoundly Mentally Disabled, Advance Directives and the Pursuit of Death with Dignity, and Legal Frontiers of Death and Dying.

• Introduction Part I: Status and Rights of the Cadaver 1. When Does a Person Become a Corpse? 2. The Human Nature of a Cadaver 3. The Legal Status of the Postliving: Do Corpses Have Rights? Part II: Disposition of Human Remains 4. Decomposition of the Body and Efforts to Slow Its Disintegration 5. Final Disposal of Human Remains 6. Eternal Preservation of the Deceased: Literally and Figuratively Part III: The Multiple Roles of a Cadaver 7. The Cadaver as Supplier of Used Body Parts 8. The Cadaver as Teacher, Research Subject, or Forensic Witness 9. The Cadaver as Parent Part IV: Abuses of the Cadaver: What Does Decency Demand? 10. Body Snatching, Then and Now 11. Desecration of Human Remains 12. Public Display and the Dignity of Human Remains 13. Don't Neglect the Fate of Your Remains Notes Bibliography List of Cases Index

Highly readable and offers several examples of Cantor's wry sense of humor. It also reveals an extraordinary depth and breadth of research and advances a number of serious conclusions. Journal of Legal Medicine A fascinating book, written in a lively, accessible style. Choice Although death is a universal experience, few of us have looked beyond the simple choice between burial and cremation. For those who share the author's curiosity, Mr. Cantor has provided an informative, thorough, and often entertaining explication of the fate of our bodies. New York Journal of Books Norman Cantor has taken a subject that could be dull and dry and written an extensive and interesting account of the various customs and practical questions that might arise concerning the care of a corpse... Cantor's ingenuity is manifested by his ability to present lively examples and intriguing anecdotes. Health Progress