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Why, when someone dies, are they spoken of as a "body" or "corpse"? [View all] Duer 157099 Feb 2013 OP

I've thought about that myself... Callmecrazy Feb 2013 #1

I usually refer to them as "the stiff" Katashi_itto Feb 2013 #15

When I was doing mountain rescue on the cascades we called them gumbys. defacto7 Feb 2013 #34

mt. hood? corneliamcgillicutty Feb 2013 #76

Rainier defacto7 Feb 2013 #88

Maybe they don't want to raise false hopes or prematurely Warpy Feb 2013 #2

Thank you! markpkessinger Feb 2013 #6

My mother was a nurse midwest irish Feb 2013 #28

okay, you got 3 verys in there so spill the beans! who's the "notable journalist" n/t orleans Feb 2013 #38

Id Rather not say midwest irish Feb 2013 #46

Cute. Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #52

that's okay--i didn't really care anyway. i was just teasing you. n/t orleans Feb 2013 #64

Read my answer again. midwest irish Feb 2013 #67

Good clue.. My mother and my Irish twin are nurses.... When my Irish twin was in nursing school midnight Feb 2013 #83

Im sorry midwest irish Feb 2013 #84

It is good stuff... Right now my Irish twin and I are the same age.... We have lots of fun with this midnight Feb 2013 #87

Bingo! rustydog Feb 2013 #53

I'm an atheist. Warpy Feb 2013 #54

I'm agnostic, seen a lot of dying people too rustydog Feb 2013 #58

I realized that immediately when my mother died. I knew she was no longer there. CTyankee Feb 2013 #59

Religion Spider Jerusalem Feb 2013 #3

Philosophy, too Bad Thoughts Feb 2013 #41

The person is gone... Benton D Struckcheon Feb 2013 #4

Same here when my dad died. Nt newfie11 Feb 2013 #8

I've Noticed That Whenever I've Gone To An Open Casket Funeral ChoppinBroccoli Feb 2013 #22

Good question. And, elleng Feb 2013 #5

Pretty obvious... gcomeau Feb 2013 #7

And, many times the "news" of the deceased person gets out before SoCalDem Feb 2013 #19

+1 wickerwoman Feb 2013 #35

but that's not accurate either orleans Feb 2013 #39

No gcomeau Feb 2013 #45

"*They* do not" is your opinion based on your assumptions & what you've been told orleans Feb 2013 #55

Hallucinations are nothing to take lightly. gcomeau Feb 2013 #57

don't be a jerk by implying i don't know what hallucinations are. open your mind (it'll do you good) orleans Feb 2013 #63

I'm not being a jerk. That wasn't a joke. gcomeau Feb 2013 #66

Cool story Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #69

That's the regular term used by coroners and law enforcement. n/t Cleita Feb 2013 #9

Distance REP Feb 2013 #10

Pending notification of family? Ruby the Liberal Feb 2013 #11

Why not? MineralMan Feb 2013 #12

That's always bothered me too. I remember Auntie Bush Feb 2013 #13

I dunno, what if they're a skeleton? lonestarnot Feb 2013 #14

It makes sense to me. A corpse/body is different from "Jane Smith." Jane's essence is no longer ther Honeycombe8 Feb 2013 #16

Even without the religious baggage on this question ... surrealAmerican Feb 2013 #17

Nope, not buying it, nor any of the many other attempts Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #18

Comatose people are still alive..they exist as a living person even if they cannot SoCalDem Feb 2013 #20

Many many many people in a coma wake up. They aren't a body. loudsue Feb 2013 #29

In a coma, you have perfusion of tissues. It's very visible. LeftInTX Feb 2013 #33

when she died my mother was no longer in the physical body. She entered another realm CTyankee Feb 2013 #62

Philosophically, because that which made them a person is gone. Zephie Feb 2013 #21

Maybe part of it is that in our culture Jennicut Feb 2013 #23

Because that's what it is. alarimer Feb 2013 #24

Because when someone dies, it's the same as if they never existed. randome Feb 2013 #25

+1000 Taverner Feb 2013 #50

In the military we said "remains" Recursion Feb 2013 #26

Same reason a fetus is not a baby marshall Feb 2013 #27

Because a person is alive and dead flesh is not Yo_Mama Feb 2013 #30

Because "kangaroo" and "turnip" were already taken! Vinnie From Indy Feb 2013 #31

Dust to dust RedCappedBandit Feb 2013 #32

They also call people 'souls' if they are lost at sea. applegrove Feb 2013 #36

Because their energy, the thing that made them them, is gone. MADem Feb 2013 #37

i absolutely get what you're saying orleans Feb 2013 #40

The undertakers in my home town were always careful to refer to the deceased as 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.' LongTomH Feb 2013 #85

Custom and practice. dipsydoodle Feb 2013 #42

Latin NNN0LHI Feb 2013 #43

I agree with you malaise Feb 2013 #44

Question: 100 years later, is the dirt that's leftover from the corpse a person? Taverner Feb 2013 #49

As long as people still visit that dirt I guess so malaise Feb 2013 #65

Interesting Question. . . . BigDemVoter Feb 2013 #47

Can you tell the difference between a person who "temporarily" dies Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #61

To maintain objectivity Taverner Feb 2013 #48

I Hope That Question Isn't Making You Lose Any Sleep. (nt) Paladin Feb 2013 #51

Because the whole world is conspiring to make you religious Dreamer Tatum Feb 2013 #56

No, as a matter of fact, that is not what I'm trying to say Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #60

Because luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. TheKentuckian Feb 2013 #68

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Immediately after? Yes, absolutely. Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #71

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As I said, immediately after Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #73

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I agree. And at that point Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #78

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Well, like in a hospital bed? Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #80

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I have no issue with the "body/corpse" thing etherealtruth Feb 2013 #75

What if you don't know the identity, or next-of-kin hasn't been notified yet? Hugabear Feb 2013 #77

Yeah, that is totally not what I'm talking about Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #81

Because it is a body? NYC Liberal Feb 2013 #86