The Body Farm

Do you need an option other than the blasé cremation or ground burial of your departed body? Believe it or not, there is an option in which you can advance science long after your earthly body has served its purpose. It’s called The Body Farm, and there are nine in the United States, but the one I am familiar with is the original, The Body Farm at the University of Tennessee. It’s comically right next to the UT Medical Center in Knoxville.

In a nutshell, your body would be placed in a documented setting and then the decomposition process will be documented over time. For instance, how does direct sunshine affect decomposition versus shade? Does body fat alter the process? Do skinny people decompose slower or faster? How does the ambient temperature affect becoming worm food? There’s a lot to be learned by the study of decomposition and it greatly aids the criminal justice system in investigations. 

I had been DA for a few months when a missing woman was found on a hot July day. Then-HCSO Sgt. Jon Holland called me to tell me about the discovery of the body. We talked and I asked about the autopsy time so I could attend. He told me that was a bad idea. He said that the heat wave had made the victim’s body unsuitable for a novice like me to attend, in so many words, so I took his advice. 

That is where the Body Farm comes in useful. Medical Examiners have learned how to calculate the time of death by Body Farm studies on decomposure studies. In this case, the Medical Examiner examined the body and gave us a time of death window that turned out to be spot on when additional facts came to light. 

So even if you don’t feel like you’ve contributed much to scientific study (for instance, you went to UGA), you still have time. Simply contact the Body Farm and see if you can be of use!

My lovely wife has forbidden me to donate her body to the Body Farm. She says she’s been in criminal justice her entire work life, so she’s done enough. The Body Farm doesn’t work that way though. The donor has to make arrangements ahead of time. You can’t donate someone else’s body. Rules, rules. I have a number of people I’d like to nominate, but since the Body Farm is restricted to only researchers and certain students, it’s just as well. 

Along those lines, I used to have a UGA Bulldawg minature statute in the backyard for Grant and myself to have a target for our stream, if you get my drift. If the Body Farm allowed public access, I can only imagine the peverse things that could happen. Good call in keeping it restricted. 

One last thing, after they have gleaned all they can from your skin and bones, they will return what’s left to your family for final disposition. I joke around because we need to relax when it comes to death. It is truly inescapable.

Kelly Burke was born in Knoxville where he spent his younger years, followed by high school years in Atlanta where he graduated from Georgia Tech, and then graduated from Mercer Law School. He has been in private practice, a magistrate judge, and an elected district attorney. He writes about the law, politics, music, and Ireland. He and his wife enjoy gardening, playing with their Lagotto Ramanolo named George Harrison, and spending time with their grandchildren.