The caption may not be accurate but it is out of respect for the dead.



Since a leading newspaper carried this story...
By a great stretch of imagination, one may say that the autonomous lobe of the brain maintained some very low level of respiration and pulse rate and the body fed itself off its own fat - or some equivalent to what we hear about on bodies frozen under ice; but when the report says that the shroud remained spotlessly white, one wonders what's going on.

If this had happened in the West, would authorities have seized the body for examination; medical research or possible foul play? Or would they have needed permission from the relatives? Q is purely from a medical / legal viewpoint.

Or, with the greatest of respect, it could simply be a money spinning hoax, like the loch ness monster

The Loch Ness monster is quite real........................it's the ghost of a
dinosaur!

A remarkable story of preservation after death.

Long time ago was a case of a yogi whose body was left in a glass casket for 7 days so that his devotees could come & pay homage, included Americans. no signs of decay and body was sent to pyre. too many witnesses, and recorded in some book. his name was Swamy Yoga -nanda.

But 22 years! No idea why scientists here didn't move the authorities and seize the body. Test for the remote possibility - then What a treasure. Serious problem here, the prevailing orthodox culture.

hi Jaish preservation of a body is not necessarily a sign of "life ......
ancient Egyptians used to remove organs and place salt inside the cavity , as a means of preservation ......this was before mummification became popular )

we know decomposition requires moisture and a bacterial ecosystem so the environment can play a role In How fast decomposition takes place . Dry heat and salt/ dry sand would slow the process .

Did they look to see if his organs were preserved ??

What was the shroud made off ??? .

Difficult to believe that the shroud was white given the incessant rain and mud !!! Perhaps they should have researched what the fabric used was and if it contained any preserving chemicals/ waterproofing substance .

Not sure what the requirements are in other countries but in nz a licence needs to be issued by the ministry of health to exhume a body. In most cases this includes familial consent .

Archeological digs are not covered by this licence and have their own regulations . Had this been an archeological finding no doubt there would have been research conducted as to why he was so well preserved but given the time frame of death and that they were able to identify the body ., it is right that he was re-buried .

Thanks Blondey,

I finding it difficult to believe that story.

Many cultures and faiths, believe in
miracles. And I say, let them.

The preservation of a body to such a
degree, could legitimately be viewed
as a miraculous event.

Without mentioning a culture, or a faith...
A person in the West, saw what was believed
to be a likeness of a certain 'lord and savior'
on a piece of toast. Many in the West, deemed
it a "miracle".


And, as Blondey pointed out, there is a science
to it all.

you are right rock . Some religions view corpses that do not decay as "miracles" others use the term "incorruptibles" . Apparently canonised saints were often given this term . Throughout history There have certainly been other cases of well preserved corpses .. so this would not be the first event .

your welcome ., thanks for sharing this Interesting event .

Personally, I don't find this story fascinating as much as I find plastination interesting. I'm going along with Blondey111 because it makes sense for the area the body was buried in.
What might be significant, now that the body has been reburied, to dig it back up in 22 more years and see if it has or has not decayed.

Not fascinating!
Well, if there are similar stories and some remote truth in them then it goes on to say that the body need not age.

Body cells replicate but neurons do not : We are told that body cells replicate themselves and that in seven year cycles we own new or different bodies. And if we read about brain cells, there is talk about plasticity, i.e., old networks break and new networks are formed; but so far no scientist has said that like body cells, neurons replicate themselves after the age of 3.

Focus area: So essentially, the body is ‘killed’ because the ‘body regulating lobe of the brain’, the one that regulates autonomous activities like heartbeat and respiration; i.e., the cerebellum (not cerebrum) - dies.

The point here is while the brain has been studied, scientists have taken the brain stem and the cerebellum for granted. Like programmers taking the computer's operating system, DOS or Windows for granted and focusing on applications software

Seriously interested to know Blondey's viewpoint.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2738563

Decay rates of human remains in an arid environment.
Galloway A1, Birkby WH, Jones AM, Henry TE, Parks BO.

Abstract

The environment of southern Arizona with mild winters and hot, dry summers produces great variability in decay rates of human remains. Summer temperatures, which range well over 38 degrees C (100 degrees F), induce rapid bloating as a result of the accumulation of decompositional gases. However, in certain circumstances, the aridity can lead to extensive mummification, allowing preservation of remains for hundreds of years. A retrospective study of 189 cases, concentrating on remains found on the desert floor or in the surrounding mountains and on remains found within closed structures, outlines the time frame and sequences of the decay process. Remains can retain a fresh appearance for a considerable time in the winter, but the onset of marked decomposition is rapid in the summer months. Bloating of the body usually is present two to seven days following death. Following this, within structures, there is frequently rapid decomposition and skeletonization. With outdoor exposure, remains are more likely to pass through a long period of dehydration of outer tissues, mummification, and reduction of desiccated tissue. Exposure of large portions of the skeleton usually does not occur until four to six months after death. Bleaching and exfoliation of bone--the beginning stages of destruction of the skeletal elements--begins at about nine months' exposure. Insect activity, including that of maggot and beetle varieties, may accelerate decomposition, but this process is greatly affected by location of the body, seasonal weather, and accessibility of the soft tissues. Carnivores and other scavengers also are contributing factors, as are clothing or covering of the body, substrate, elevation, and latitude.

PMID:
2738563

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity_myths

Longevity myths
This article is about myths related to the mythology of humans or other beings living to mythological ages. For validated specific supercentenarian claims by modern standards, see List of the verified oldest people. For modern, or complete, unvalidated supercentenarian claims, see Longevity claims.

Book Reference:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20015/
The Genetic Pathway for Programmed Cell Death


I remember having a discussion on one of my forums (can't recall the forum[maybe here?]) where we discussed longevity and cell death rates.
In the discussion we talked about turning off the part of the cell genes that causes the cell to die. I recall referencing a science site that had a chart of decay rates over time once a body dies (it stated the vagina was one of the last parts to die).

There are websites that show scientific experiments tracking decay rates in different environments. It is said, a dead body on the Moon will never decay.
I disagree because everyone that is alive has bacteria in their bodies. On the Moon, within a spacesuit (even without air) the bacteria will still consume the organic. However, after the bacteria die, the decay process would stop.

If a person were to be dipped in plastic at the moment of death, they would still decay inside the plastic but at a much slower rate and when the bacteria within them dies, the decay process would stop. If the bacteria died when the person died, there would be no decay.

It is possible someone might be entombed in a way that prevents outside intrusion. If the bacteria dies fast enough, the outer shell of that person may remain fairly intact.