Sooner or later we are all going to end up on a mortuary slab. Carla Valentine prepares us for this final indignity of life with her illustrated talk focusing on the various post-mortem procedures, drawn from the ten years she spent working in morgues as an anatomical pathology technologist. She takes you through a typical day in the death of the average cadaver, starting from its arrival in the mortuary in a body bag and including dissection, removal of organs for donation, with a full account of the “multisensory experience” of each of the five stages of decomposition and how after the autopsy the body is reconstructed, groomed and spruced up to be reunited with its loved ones at its funeral.

With insights from history, science and anthropology Carla will induct you into the secrets of what really happens when the mortuary door shuts or the coffin lid closes.

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CARLA VALENTINE
Carla Valentine is a writer, broadcaster and Senior Anatomical Pathology Technologist (Mortuary Technician or ‘Mortician’). She is currently the Technical Curator of a QMUL’s pathology museum, restoring the 5000 anatomical specimens to their former glory and teasing stories from the dead in a different way. She organises events to showcase the collection, teaches students, and conserves anatomical specimens every day. Her book “Post Mortems” is published by Sphere. You can currently see her in ‘Obesity: the Post Mortem’ on BBC iPlayer and ‘Fatberg Autopsy’ on 4OD.