question about dead people?

Question

if a body can only mumify in the sun, and a body can only rot in the dirt, then what happens to a dead body when it is placed inside a coffin?

Answer 1

The above answer unfortunately, does NOT come from a reputable website. This is simply someone thinking they know what they are talking about. I have been present for many, many disinterments, and the above answer does not even come close to being correct. I have seen tens of bodies disinterred that had been in the ground for more than 20 years, and were in perfect condition (though some were ot, the majority was)!! We had one gentleman who had been in the gorund 72 years, we actually had another visitation for him!!! There is absolutely no way to say how long someone will last once buried, there are simply too many factors that affect the rate of decomposition, such as the casket, the vault, the soil, the climate, etc., etc. Therefore, it is not only ridiculous, but moronic to try to place a time frame on how long a body will last, since there is no way of knowing that.

Answer 2

Under the most favorable circumstances, a body after six months in the grave would simply be discolored and possibly covered with mold. If the body has had the misfortune to have been sealed in an airtight metal casket, though, anaerobic bacteria--that is, those that thrive in an airless environment--will have had a chance to get to work, and the body will have putrefied, meaning it will be partially liquefied. The smell in such cases is indescribable. Simple wooden caskets, believe it or not, often result in more gradual decomposition.

Answer 3

Actually, the body eventually decomposes into the basic elements it is made of....remember the law of conservation of matter:
Matter cannot be created or destroyed. So the dead body is not destroyed matter but does return to it's natural state -- nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, etc.

Answer 4

it gets eaten by bugs and stuff.

Answer 5

I don't have any idea. but this is a good question.