CEMETERY-L Archives

From: Ruth Shapleigh-Brown <>
Subject: [CEMETERY-L] German cemeteries
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1999 09:07:44 -0400

Pat,

Many of my university students have explained this process to me. In
contrast to what we are doing, it makes one wonder. It's expectable in
some European countries as a space/land management issue, and in
Germany, from what I'm told, that's the way it's been for centuries. If
you are wealthy enough, you can purchase space for a longer amount of
time. However, I wonder about the health issue's - and why it's never
been a problem. Certain disease's live in the soil, or clothing etc. and
remains. New research (so I'm told) has recently proven that influenza
and small pox, (god knows about the other plague's) have been cultured
and proven to be "reborn" if you will, from frozen corpses, hair and
clothing remains etc.
But have they ever had problems of this nature in Germany ?
We try to make people aware that in cemeteries dating between 1860 and
1910, that the practice of using arsenic for embalming purposes, was
used and used quite heavily. When soils are disturbed containing
arsenic, contamination (possibly at fatal levels) is quite high not to
mention contaminated water reservoirs.

Much to think about.

Ruthie in Connecticut

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