Body farms are research facilities that study human decomposition in various environments and contexts. The first facility was opened in 1981 by Dr. William M. Bass after realizing the serious lack of data on human corpse decomposition (Pokines et al., 2022). Currently, 12 facilities exist globally, 10 of which are in North America (Pokines et al., 2022). The one located here in Canada is in Quebec. At a body farm, most of the research takes place outside as they often have several human bodies at different stages of decomposition in various locations on the land. Facilities receive bodies through planned donation before death or donation from a family after someone has passed, and the bodies are typically not returned.
So why might this type of research be a positive thing? First, they provide documented, rigorous data on decomposition and the post-mortem processes. Pokines and colleagues (2022) suggest that the rise of body farms “has influenced a fundamental shift in decomposition research, providing researchers somewhat greater control over factors and variables of interest” (p.43). Some of the main goals of the researchers are to assist forensic investigators by providing tools to analyze human remains and to provide future researchers with controlled, foundational research (Pokines et al., 2022). Researchers can also study the impact that different contexts have on decomposition. They can recreate crimes to examine how a body decomposes in specific circumstances, and examine how various environments impact the body post-mortem. The expansion of decomposition research and the opening of several body farms over various geographical locations allows researchers to make comparisons to decomposition in other environments (Pokines et al., 2022). Research done in body farms is strictly to benefit the living.
On the other hand, body farms are also controversial. There exists a large debate about whether decomposition research should use humans or animals (Pokines et al., 2022). Research on donated human remains cannot be generalized to other places outside of the local area and the way that each person decomposes is unique and cannot be replicated. Researchers have no way of controlling how a person lives their life before passing, which creates the concern that factors, such as diet, are extremely variable and can be unknown (Pokines et al., 2022). Conversely, when using animals, these factors can be controlled (Pokines et al., 2022). Body farms are also limited in funding, backlog, and resources. Most researchers do not have access to many human subjects, and people who donate their bodies may not be representative of those found in the crime scene context (Pokines et al., 2022). Donated bodies usually come from older, non-marginalized populations (Pokines et al., 2022). Researchers also do not tell donors what they will do to the bodies, and ethical issues may also stem from people’s religious or cultural beliefs about how to treat and respect the dead. Concerns arise from the concept that donating a body may disrupt the process of death, grief, and mourning.
In conclusion, body farms aim to provide researchers and investigators access to foundational, controlled research but face many limitations and controversies. What is written here is not extensive, so I encourage you to watch the attached video at the link below to learn more about these facilities.
References: Pokines JT, L’Abbé EN, Symes SA. 2022. Manual of forensic taphonomy. Boca Raton, CRC Press. DOI: 10.4324/9781003171492.
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