Death’s Summer Coat audiobook cover - What the History of Death and Dying Teaches Us About Life and Living

Death’s Summer Coat

What the History of Death and Dying Teaches Us About Life and Living

Brandy Schillace

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Society & CultureHealth & Nutrition

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Death’s Summer Coat
Psychology of Death+
The Good Death+
Science & Desecration+
Medical Dilemmas+
Historical Grieving Rituals+
Victorian Memento Mori+
Modern Memorials+
Actionable Advice+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
Why does the concept of death often cause humans anxiety, according to findings on how the brain categorizes information?
  • A. It triggers a primal fear response that overrides the brain's neural pathways for logic.
  • B. It defies our brain's innate need to neatly categorize things, as it is both a singular final event and an ongoing process.
  • C. It is the only human experience that cannot be observed or measured by modern science.
  • D. It reminds us of our physical vulnerability and the fragility of our bodies.
Question 2 of 8
How did the concept of a 'good death' shift around the eighth century BC?
  • A. It shifted from a violent death in battle to a peaceful death in one's sleep.
  • B. It became associated with dying quickly to avoid being a burden on the nomadic tribe.
  • C. It came to mean having the time to peacefully put one's moral, spiritual, and financial affairs in order.
  • D. It was defined solely by the amount of wealth a person could pass down to their immediate family.
Question 3 of 8
What was a major consequence of the 19th-century medical science boom and the subsequent Anatomy Act of 1832?
  • A. The practice of grave-robbing emerged to supply cadavers, disproportionately targeting the graves of the poor and marginalized.
  • B. Governments began paying families substantial sums of money to legally donate their deceased relatives.
  • C. The medical community halted anatomical studies until synthetic bodies could be created.
  • D. Religious institutions changed their doctrines to encourage voluntary body donation as a sacred act.
Question 4 of 8
How have medical advancements like CPR and ventilators created new ethical dilemmas regarding death?
  • A. They made medical care too expensive for the average person to afford a 'good death.'
  • B. They forced families to choose between traditional burials and modern cremation.
  • C. They blurred the definition of death by keeping bodies functioning even after heart or brain failure.
  • D. They eliminated the need for organ donation, causing a collapse in the medical transplant industry.
Question 5 of 8
What was the underlying cultural purpose of necrophagy (eating the dead) among the Wari' tribe?
  • A. It was a method to absorb the deceased's knowledge and combat skills.
  • B. It was an expression of love and respect that kept the deceased within the family and aided the grieving process.
  • C. It was a practical solution to food scarcity in the Brazilian rainforest.
  • D. It was a punishment for tribal members who had committed crimes during their lifetime.
Question 6 of 8
What does the Victorian trend of memento mori photography reveal about their relationship with death?
  • A. It demonstrated a growing human capacity to deny death by posing corpses as if they were peacefully slumbering or still alive.
  • B. It showed that Victorians viewed death as a horrific event that should be documented for medical science.
  • C. It proved that the lower classes were more accepting of death than the wealthy elite.
  • D. It indicated a societal shift toward celebrating death rather than mourning it privately.
Question 7 of 8
According to the text, what is a potential downside of modern digital memorials, such as keeping a deceased person's Facebook profile active?
  • A. They are often targeted by hackers and internet scammers.
  • B. They replace traditional funerals, causing a decline in community gatherings.
  • C. They can make it more difficult for grieving loved ones to accept the finality of death.
  • D. They are too expensive for the average family to maintain over a long period.
Question 8 of 8
What actionable advice does the author suggest for developing a healthier relationship with death?
  • A. Avoid thinking about death until you are elderly to prevent unnecessary anxiety.
  • B. Leave all funeral preparations to professional undertakers to minimize emotional stress.
  • C. Adopt historical practices like necrophagy or memento mori photography to honor the dead.
  • D. Plan your funeral and openly discuss your wishes and rituals with loved ones before it is too late.

Death’s Summer Coat — Full Chapter Overview

Death’s Summer Coat Summary & Overview

Death’s Summer Coat (2016) is a peculiar and sometimes gruesome look at the history of a subject we don’t like to think about: death. Learn about how death rituals and the medical profession affect our relationship with the deceased – and that defining death isn’t as easy as one might think.

Who Should Listen to Death’s Summer Coat?

  • Anyone mourning the loss of a loved one
  • Historians interested in rituals of death and funerals
  • Morticians and medical professionals who have to deal with death on a daily basis

About the Author: Brandy Schillace

Brandy Schillace is an interdisciplinary scholar specializing in medicine, history and literature. She works for the Dittrick Museum of Medical History and edits a medical anthropology journal. Her other publications include Unnatural Reproductions and Monstrosity and Hauntings: An Anthology.

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