The Morthouse

I feel completely trashy posting something from The Mirror, but what the hey.

A doctor at the hospital was quoted as saying: “Thanks to the local tradition of parking the coffin in the house for several days, she could be saved.

But, despite ‘cheating’ death, the same local tradition has left Mrs Xiufeng with nothing as, according to tradition, after a person dies, all their belongings must be burnt.

Yet another story of a long-undiscovered dead person. Sad.

Less sad: Pigeons broke in and turned on his radio, which alerted neighbors (and the police).

I like pigeons.

(via The Order of the Good Death on Facebook)

From The Chirurgeon’s Apprentice:

The process of binding books using human flesh is known as ‘anthropodermic bibliopegy’. One of the earlier examples dates from the 17^th century and currently resides in Langdell Law Library at Harvard University. It is a Spanish law book published in 1605. The colour of the binding is a ‘subdued yellow, with sporadic brown and black splotches like an old banana’. [1] On the last page, there is an inscription which reads:

“The bynding of this booke is all that remains of my dear friende Jonas Wright, who was flayed alive by the Wavuma [possibly an African tribe from modern-day Zimbabwe, see below illustration] on the Fourth Day of August, 1632. King Mbesa did give me the book, it being one of poore Jonas chiefe possessions, together with ample of his skin to bynd it. Requiescat in pace.”

Read it!

(Found via io9.)

From 2010: CNN’s Jeanne Moos reports.

Sort-of related: When I lived in New York, I worked a block away from Time Warner Center (the building she’s standing outside of). I used to go over there to grab lunch at Whole Foods and I’d often see her standing outside interviewing people. She never stopped me, though. Sigh.

(Image via Oddity Central.)

Uh. You’re gonna wanna check out these two pictures and also read the article Buzzfeed links to.