Bio-forensic specialists disagree on diseases that can be contracted from the grave. Articles in early California gold rush newspapers swore that Cholera and Small Pox could be contracted from corpses after burial. No proof was offered or given, just opinion, I think. Arsenic, however, was used for embalming from about the mid-Civil War until about 1910. Undertakers were known to use from 3 oz. to 12 pounds (!) of arsenic to embalm bodies. Arsenic can be ingested, inhaled and absorbed through the skin. It also taints nearby wells by traveling through the ground. Sue in CA ----- Original Message ----- From: Rich Green To: INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 6:49 PM Subject: [INPCRP] Re: Health Concerns Ernie, I don't know much about this subject at all; although, it seems as though I read somewhere that there were certain illnesses that could be caused by handling material from graves and dead bodies. I probably didn't save it because it's not something I'm likely to be involved with often, but if I can find it again It's send you a copy. Regards, Rich Green Historic Archaeological Research 4338 Hadley Court West Lafayette, IN 47906 Office: (765) 464-8735 Mobile: (765) 427-4082 www.har-indy.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Ernie & Connie Lasley To: INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 9:35 PM Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Granville Cemetery & the DHPA and DNR. We had discussed health hazards in these old graves before, and no one really came up with a good answer. In the Katrina aftermath there were some concerns over old graves and above ground vaults that were washed out in the storm. From Joshua Slocum, National Director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA): "I sincerely doubt there is anything left of those bodies after all these years besides a few bones. Disease microbes, as far as I know, reside in the soft tissue, which has long, long since gone away. Besides, with rare exceptions (such as the prions that cause mad cow disease), disease dies with the body, or shortly after death. Disease-causing bacteria and viruses don't somehow hole up and go dormant for years in corpses, waiting to be reawakened" And from Dr. Joseph Guarisco, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans: ". . . dead bodies should not be a disease concern to the public. Let's just make it real clear: Dead bodies in and of themselves ­ while they are mental health issues and tragic ­ they are not a public health issue from an infectious disease standpoint at all." So this may answer the lingering question about cholera and the plagues remaining dormant for years in graves??? I don't know if that would be enough to ease my mind if exposed to the remains. I think I would still take precautions. At 06:45 PM 04/06/2006, you wrote: >Hey Ernie, > >The Board of Health might not be a bad idea in >this case. LA was cleaning stones out there the >other day and she allowed as how some of the >inscriptions provided cholera as the cause of >death. I'm not sure which diseases lie dormant >in the grave and which don't, but I suppose >exposure to the remains could be a health hazard? > >Regards, > >Rich Green ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== "Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have." Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790) ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== "Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have." Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)