"The more we talk about death, the less it will take us by surprise"
Pathology technician Carla Valentine always knew she wanted to work with corpses. In childhood, she conducted funerals for roadkill. These days, she is curator of the Barts Pathology Museum, and a passionate advocate for more awareness about what happens when the mortuary doors swing shut...
In this interview with Olly, she reveals how to prepare for an autopsy, how to get a sense of how a person lived from examining their remains, and how to create that ‘look of gentle repose’ so important to grieving families. You’ll discover when rigor mortis starts, how identify the difference between primary and secondary flaccidity, and you'll learn about alkaline hydrolosis (‘the new cremation’) and the American trend for being embalmed sitting up.
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If you'd like to hear more from Carla, do check out her excellent book, Past Mortems.
For this week’s Lifehack, Sasha Morgan from Peckham-based arts educational charity Bold Everywhere reveals her top tips to run a successful meeting: know your objectives, invite the right people, and assemble your allies before the meeting even commences! The Lifehack is supported by our friends at Squarespace.com - if you want to build yourself a beautiful website, there is no better port of call. There’s a two-week free trial, and then use our offer code ‘MANN’ to get 10% off your first year’s subscription.
Ollie's quest hits another stumbling block...
Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart’s quest to become a true trends insider continues. This week, he inches ever-closer to being able to *touch a Nando’s black card*, and learns why TV presenter Emma Willis will NEVER be allowed such an honour. He also considers the trends for brand disloyalty and dockless bike sharing. If you think you can help Ollie with his mission, contact him on Twitter.
Meanwhile, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox reveals why, when it comes to condoms, there are such things as ‘teat-less wonders’. She also explains what spermatorrhea is, why she’s created a new sexual term, ‘ledging’, and why - despite detesting the book - she has a certain fondness for the Fifty Shades Of Grey toy crossovers.
The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at mycondom.com. They stock all you need for a legendary night in the sack - or many more to come. Remember to use our discount code ‘FOXHOLE’ to receive an astonishing 15% off! And, if you have a question of sex for a future edition, do get in touch via our Feedback form.
Finally, our song of the week is Machine, by The Horrors - out now:
If you enjoy this week's show, please do support us and buy us a beer, write us a review on iTunes, or simply tell your friends about us.
See You Next Tuesday!
