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Date: | Thu, 5 Apr 2007 19:01:03 -0500 |
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I read your post regarding touching of corpses.
Touching of corpses was an ancient practice that was used to determine the guilt or innocense of an individual accused of murder.
The authorities would bring the accused to the dead body of the victim. The accused would be forced to touch the body of the victim and if the victim/dead body bled then the accused was guilty of murdering the victim. There are many refernces to to this practice as late as the 17th century. The taboo of touching the corpse may haver come from this practice. Sometimes referrred to as "blood touching"
Regards
Bob Cerra
From: "Amy C. Kowal" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 2007/04/05 Thu PM 06:30:38 CDT
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Fwd: Taboo about touching corpses
This inquiry was posted on another listserv, Early Americanists, but I thought maybe some of you might be able to assist Ms. Hutter. You may post to either listserv, or respond to Dr. Griffin directly; I can forward your response if you'd like.
Amy
Edward Griffin <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2007 14:49:33 -0500
From: Edward Griffin <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Taboo about touching corpses
To: [log in to unmask]
One of my graduate students, Liz Hutter, brought this question to me,
and I blush to confess that I have no answer. So I thought I'd send it
to all of you and hope that somebody will point us in the proper
direction. I can forward replies to her. Here's Liz's query:
In my research (late eighteenth century) on preventing and saving
individuals from accidents that could cause sudden death, I have come
upon a couple of brief references to social taboos that prevented people
from touching or assisting an apparently dead body because corpses were
not supposed to be touched. I have been trying to locate other primary
and/or secondary discussions of such a taboo about corpses. Where did it
come from? Why was a corpse not to be touched, especially one without
visible indications of illness? I surmised at first that the literature
on premature burial might provide some clues, but I haven't had any
luck. I would consider anything from the 18th and 19th centuries; the
17th century, too, if that is relevant. Do you have any ideas of sources
that might illuminate reasons for this taboo? Or suggestions about where
such information might be found?
Edward M. Griffin
Department of English
University of Minnesota
[log in to unmask]
Amy C. Kowal, RPA
Department of Anthropology
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-7772
(850) 644-4281
[log in to unmask]
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