How Do You Know About The Body Farm?!!

Alright, alright, before I begin this article and before I take any more flack from my readers, we need to address the elephant in the room. Yes, I took a two week hiatus from writing. I know, you all missed me and your Fridays just weren't quite the same without my articles to get you going in the morning...

But cheer up! I'm back in action and ready to bring you more useless information. Hopefully I can throw a little entertainment in there while I'm at it.  

Now, today's article may be unsuitable for those who are squeamish. Read on at your own risk! 

Behind the University of Tennessee Medical Center there is a 2.5 acre plot of woods sectioned off by a wooden fence. The outside of this fence is surrounded by a chain link fence. And just for good measure, the chain link fenced is crowned with a menacing coil of razor wire. 

As if the sickly, syrupy scent of something rotting isn't enough to keep curious passers-by from attempting entry, signs are posted along the outer perimeter of the fence that warn, "RESEARCH FACILITY. BIOHAZARD. NO TRESPASSING."  

This is The Body Farm.  

Dr. William Bass is the man responsible for establishing The Body Farm. He was appointed head of the University's anthropology department in 1971. He was also the official forensic anthropologist for the State of Tennessee. As such, he was often consulted by the police when cases involved decomposing human remains.  

However, at this point in history, little was known about human decay. And half of what was known was astonishingly inaccurate. As you can imagine, this was detrimental to Tennessee's finest when it came to solving cases that were any older than a few months.  

In one instance, Dr. Bass was called upon to estimate how long some human remains had been decomposing. Using the conventional methods for the time, he deduced that the individual had been dead for approximately one year. It couldn't have been any longer judging by the amount of  moist flesh that was still attached to the bones. Later on, other evidence proved that the body had been in it's coffin since the Civil War Era. The coffin was made of materials that contained lead which contaminated and effectively embalmed the body, making it nearly impervious to decomposition.   

This and other similar cases led Dr. Bass to ask the University to allow him to build a research facility where he and his Forensic Anthropology students could better understand the decomposition process of a human being.  

Nowadays, the farm receives around fifty bodies a year. All of them have requested that their body specifically be used for research on the farm. All of them are basically dumped somewhere in the woods and left for various periods of time.   

They are all left to decompose in different scenarios as well. They are left in cars, in shallow graves, submerged in water, inside cement vaults, in plastic bags, and some even in suitcases. Fairly often the bodies are subjected to chemical contact or fire to study the outcome.   

Students and their professors keep frequent and detailed records of their observations. Occasionally professional law enforcement members will take a field trip the the farm to take notes on a particular case study. They've even reported that several cub scout troops have requested to tour the farm. These requests were respectfully denied.  

Through the information gathered at The Body Farm and others like it, we have learned an immense amount about the process the human body goes through as it decomposes. Once death occurs, human decomposition begins to take place about four minutes later. Cells that are deprived of their usual supply of nourishment begin to die. Rigor Mortis takes place a few hours later because the chemicals that normally allow muscle fibers to slide freely have been metabolized by that point.   

Blood pools in the lowermost regions of the body causing the pallid color corpses are known for. Flies can detect the scent of a corpse from up to a mile away. They are attracted to the scent as a corpse is an ideal place for them to lay their eggs. Once the eggs hatch into maggots, the larvae will feed on the subcutaneous layer of fat.  

The brain tissue slowly begins to liquefy and seep out of the orifices in the head over the course of the next several days. The abdomen begins to turn green and bloat due to activity from the bacteria that naturally live their. The same thing can happen to the neck and face, especially the mouth area, making identification difficult at this stage.   

Blisters sometimes begin to form on the surface of the skin which eventually begins to peel off in large sheets. The skin on the hands will often slough off in one complete piece in a process known as "gloving."   

One of my personal favorite discoveries made by the iron-stomached students there is that they can soak the piece of skin that has sloughed off the hand in warm water to restore its flexibility. Then they can slip the "glove" right onto their own hand and take a perfectly good set of fingerprints.    

After most or all of the skin is gone and bone tissue is now exposed, the decomposition process begins to slow down. The process of skeletonization occurs when the last of the soft tissue is gone. But even at this stage, the corpses serve a purpose. The bones are removed from the farm and steam cleaned. Then they are added to the skeletal archives at the University so they may aid science even further.   

Dr. Bass does not teach any longer but he continues to occupy the position of Head of Forensics Anthropology. He has written a few books about his experiences at the University and continues to advocate the need for more decomposition research facilities. Unfortunately that is easier said than done due to the fact that no one wants to live next to a forest filled with rotting corpses and college-aged CSI fans.  

While it's obvious why the practice lacks general appeal, it is indisputable that the information gathered at The Body Farm has made forensic science what it is today. Countless cases that would have gone unsolved are now closed thanks to the work performed by the students and their professors.