Autopsies of gas warfare; intoxicated corpses of the First World War

This article intends to shed light on the influence of gas warfare on the management of dead bodies of violence. It shows that this new type of weapon prompted the setting up of new military centres dedicated to forensic research within the French army. This work notably involved carrying out numero...

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Main Author: Taline Garibian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Manchester University Press 2024-12-01
Series:Human Remains and Violence
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/journals/hrv/10/2/article-p5.xml
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author Taline Garibian
author_facet Taline Garibian
author_sort Taline Garibian
collection DOAJ
description This article intends to shed light on the influence of gas warfare on the management of dead bodies of violence. It shows that this new type of weapon prompted the setting up of new military centres dedicated to forensic research within the French army. This work notably involved carrying out numerous autopsies on the bodies of deceased intoxicated soldiers. By looking at the reports produced and the work of forensic pathologists, the article demonstrates how dead bodies became a site of knowledge production. It also investigates the tensions related to the treatment of dead bodies resulting from this widespread practice of autopsy. The reports produced also provide precise descriptions of the last moments of the soldiers who died in ambulances or hospitals. Finally, by cross-referencing these sources with soldiers’ grave registers, it is possible to grasp the afterlives of autopsied bodies and the diverse fates of soldiers who fell at the front.
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spelling doaj-art-eaf810d799774d7f9d9712ee63c3cc622025-08-20T03:56:47ZengManchester University PressHuman Remains and Violence2054-22402024-12-01102520https://doi.org/10.7227/HRV.10.2.2Autopsies of gas warfare; intoxicated corpses of the First World WarTaline Garibian0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2364-4477University of GenevaThis article intends to shed light on the influence of gas warfare on the management of dead bodies of violence. It shows that this new type of weapon prompted the setting up of new military centres dedicated to forensic research within the French army. This work notably involved carrying out numerous autopsies on the bodies of deceased intoxicated soldiers. By looking at the reports produced and the work of forensic pathologists, the article demonstrates how dead bodies became a site of knowledge production. It also investigates the tensions related to the treatment of dead bodies resulting from this widespread practice of autopsy. The reports produced also provide precise descriptions of the last moments of the soldiers who died in ambulances or hospitals. Finally, by cross-referencing these sources with soldiers’ grave registers, it is possible to grasp the afterlives of autopsied bodies and the diverse fates of soldiers who fell at the front.https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/journals/hrv/10/2/article-p5.xmlgas warfarecorpsesautopsydeathgraveschemicals
spellingShingle Taline Garibian
Autopsies of gas warfare; intoxicated corpses of the First World War
Human Remains and Violence
gas warfare
corpses
autopsy
death
graves
chemicals
title Autopsies of gas warfare; intoxicated corpses of the First World War
title_full Autopsies of gas warfare; intoxicated corpses of the First World War
title_fullStr Autopsies of gas warfare; intoxicated corpses of the First World War
title_full_unstemmed Autopsies of gas warfare; intoxicated corpses of the First World War
title_short Autopsies of gas warfare; intoxicated corpses of the First World War
title_sort autopsies of gas warfare intoxicated corpses of the first world war
topic gas warfare
corpses
autopsy
death
graves
chemicals
url https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/journals/hrv/10/2/article-p5.xml
work_keys_str_mv AT talinegaribian autopsiesofgaswarfareintoxicatedcorpsesofthefirstworldwar