Wednesday, February 13, 2008

A Little M.E. Humor

*****Rated SG for "slightly gory". May not be suitable for children under 13 or for pets.*****

While out on a scene with a forensic investigator, we were all discussing food and how hungry we were after leaving the decendent. The investigator said she always gets hungry while photographing burn victims (ew). Then, she told us about the tricks she likes to play on rookie police officers on their first death scenes. Act 1: rookie officer is at scene of really gory "decomp", or a body that is being returned to the elements by bacteria. He is turning somewhat green (the rookie), so the investigator starts discussing what food she is going to go consume ravenously after leaving the scene. Act 2: another rookie, another scene. Acting in cue with the senior detective, she asks the rookie to collect a sample from the body. A sample of #2, if you will. As he got more and more upset, the detective told him "the ME said you have to, you better do it."

_______________________________________________

The other day, while discussing yet another "decomp" case to be autopsied, one ME teased another about how stinky she was going to be after doing the case. The ME assigned the decomp shook her head and said "If I'm going to be stinky, I'd just as soon stink to high heaven!"

********This last comment is REALLY GORY, rated RG, read at your own risk!***********

Forensic investigator said she's always wanted to take a photograph of decomposing skin to a paint store and ask if she could get paint in "decomp green" just to see what they'd do.

********RG alert is over*********

Just another day in the ME's office.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Maybe I don't fully appreciate what "decomp green" is but... I'm currently eating and not at all grossed out by your comment. You can do better than that!

Tiny Shrink said...

Decomp green is a very bright, almost lime green color, mixed with bright maroon. After a few days of being dead, the skin (especially on pale people) turns this wild mottled green/maroon color with a stripey-patterned effect. It's really startling.

frectis said...

I imagine forensics is quite high on the list of professions employing gallows humor. FWIW, every time we went to the cadaver lab I came out starving. Oddly enough growing cultures in micro is doing the same for me. We watched a vid on E. coli Hsomething with regard to beef spoilage. I could not get a hamburger fast enough following it.