Glass Coffins and the Eternal Rest: A Century of Failed Attempts at Corpse Preservation
In 1903, Joseph Karwowski patented a "Method of Preserving the Dead" involving encasing corpses in glass, a radical attempt to combat the anxieties surrounding bodily decay. His vision, using sodium silicate and molten glass, aimed for indefinite preservation in a lifelike state. While unsuccessful, Karwowski's invention, along with early 20th-century glass caskets and other methods like airtight iron coffins and electroplating corpses into statues, highlight humanity's enduring resistance to death. These approaches, however, overlooked the internal autolysis of the body, often leading to gruesome consequences. The Corning Museum of Glass's exhibit, "Curious and Curiouser," showcases these inventive, ultimately flawed attempts, prompting reflection on death and decomposition.
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