Science has long valued the mysteries of the dead, often defying ethical and religious objections in the name of research. The great Leonardo da Vinci secretly dissected cadavers by candlelight to learn the secrets of human anatomy, a crime punishable by death. Even early medical schools were known to employ grave robbers to acquire specimens. In the early 1800s, the market for bodies was so lucrative it inspired the macabre case of Burke and Hare, who acquired their inventory by murder. The modern world has taken a much more liberal view toward such scientific endeavors, even if the experiments grow stranger.
One particularly morbid example is the Body Farm, also known as the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility. This two-and-a-half-acre wooded plot, surrounded by razor wire, sits behind the University of Tennessee Medical Center and is home to hundreds of decomposing corpses. Some lay in shallow graves, others sit secluded in rusted automobiles or submerged in ponds, and still others lay naked to the elements. At first glance, this may seem like the demented work of some extremely prolific serial killer. However, these bodies are not victims but donated specimens.
The Body Farm, established in 1981, was William M. Bass’s creation for the study of human decomposition. The unique features of the site were designed to emulate various environmental conditions experienced by human remains. In its thirty-plus years, the facility has made significant advances in forensic science, which are practically applied by both anthropologists and law enforcement. Bass and his students have even consulted the FBI, helping solve several high-profile cases.
Bass’ Body Farm was so successful that it inspired the creation of similar research facilities across the United States. Today, institutions such as Texas State University, Western Carolina University, and Sam Houston State University operate forensic research facilities that build on Bass’s pioneering work. Each site offers a different climate and environmental setting—Texas State University’s facility, for example, is located in a drier and hotter climate, allowing for comparative studies on how climate impacts decomposition. Internationally, countries like Australia and the Netherlands have also established body farms, reflecting the global need for advanced forensic techniques.
Despite its scientific value, the concept is unsettling and does invite some moral objections, namely the ethical gray area of leaving a corpse naked to rot in a field. I wonder what DaVinci would think. Burk and Hare would undoubtedly have no scruples, though they would be disappointed to find themselves cut out of the supply chain by the thousands of volunteers pledged to donate their bodies.
Unfortunately, for dark tourists, the Body Farm is unavailable for public visitation.
Jason Roberts is a Seattle-based author noted for his acclaimed Western Horror series The Dead Wind Trilogy and other works of cosmic horror infused with historical fiction. His web-based series, Dark Distractions, examines paranormal mysteries, unexplained phenomena, and all things strange.
