Not a T.V. body

      I am a big fan of violent, investigative, no holds bar kind of shows. In those types of shows you see a lot of dead bodies and wounds that make you desensitized to that stuff, if you are into that. All of the shows in the world could not have prepared be for what I saw and heard from the Hillsborough Medical Examiner’s office.

     Vernard Adams, MD Chief Medical Examiner spoke to my class for roughly 20-30 minutes, telling us the legal stuff about his line of work. A couple of interesting things Dr. Adams told us were about, who would want the public record, what their missions are and how they dispose of bodies.

      I was intrigued to learn that their missions were to investigate deaths that are unnatural and dispose of unwanted bodies. I just thought that an M.E. just autopsied the body and wrote a report. Dr. Adams told us that they have switched to cremating unwanted bodies instead of burying. I found this interesting until I heard later that it is because cremating cost about ¼ less. Some of the people that I didn’t think would want to have the public record were life insurance policy, state attorney and public defender. After Dr. Adams explained why, it made a lot my sense.

      Finally we get to the good part, so we get the tour around the three buildings and end up at the autopsy room/coolers.  Now I have to admit the way Dr. Adams talked about dead people amazed me, I’m thinking to myself “geez this guy has probably seen it all and it just doesn’t affect him anymore.” So we’re standing in the lobby and he tells us that there is an autopsy going on and he doesn’t think we can go in there room. Then all of a sudden the door to the room opens and BAM there is one our my classmates and a dead body.

       I got to tell you seeing a lifeless body just laying there with practically nothing inside was gut wrenching. Those T.V. shows don’t do anything to prepare you for the real thing. I am glad I experienced a body in that state. I’ve been to funerals and even though they were sad, the body was put together. I’m going to stick to journalism and public records.