Increasing body mass and the mortuary

Excerpt

There is mounting evidence that Western nations are in the grip of an obesity ‘epidemic’. Average body mass index (BMI) is increasing, with related diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus showing concurrent rises [1]. Estimates by the World Health Organization are that the world’s population of one billion overweight individuals will increase by another 50% by 2015 [2]. In the United States alone there has been an increase in morbid obesity in the general population from 0.78 to 2.2% between 1990 and 2000 [3]. In a forensic context, studies from South Australia have shown an increase in morbidly obese bodies subjected to forensic autopsy from 1.3% in 1986 to 4.8% in 2006, with one-third of cases in early 2007 being classified as obese (BMI ≥ 30), and 6% morbidly obese (Class III, BMI ≥ 40) [4, 5]. All of this significantly affects morgue work practices and even burial techniques are having to be modified, with the need for larger coffins and increased width of cemetery excavations. Thus the situation during life is having a critical impact after death. …