Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation student Faye had a great experience learning about decomposition during her placement at our Taphonomic Research in Anthropology: Centre for Experimental Studies (TRACES) facility.
In the second year of my Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation course I took part in a placement at the TRACES site. My role was to help the Master’s students with their projects on decomposition. This interested me as during my course I enjoyed learning about decomposition, taphonomy and effects on the body post-mortem.
The first part of my role was to help set up the projects. This involved laying out deceased pigs at the site to be able to monitor their decomposition. We put on our waterproof jackets, pants and wellies and marched up to the swamp area. We were given shovels to dig up areas in which the pigs would be placed. It was a true team-bonding experience, especially getting our wellies sucked into the deep mud!
We were given 15 deceased pigs to be the focus of the studies over the next few weeks. Once all the pigs were loaded off the trailer, they were individually weighed and washed down to remove all the mud. Eight of these pigs were set aside and put in the swampier part of the site. The other seven pigs were put into the main field. Part of the research was to look at the difference in decomposition between full and dismembered bodies, so three of the pigs were split into heads, limbs and torsos. All of this was tough work, but really important for the research the Master's students were doing.
We looked at a range of different things as part of the research. The weather was rainy for the first few weeks so the pigs didn’t decompose as fast as originally planned. There was some visible bloating and green discolouration within the first two weeks. We also noted some increased insect activity. Once the weather changed to be sunnier, with increased temperatures, we noted maggots had begun appearing. The pigs in the swampier area also had many, many flies. This came with a strong smell, something that is unfortunately unavoidable when researching decomposition!
Seeing what I had learnt about decomposition being put into practice has helped me understand these parts of my degree in greater depth. It's not a glamorous area of research, but a really important one. It's not for everyone so getting real experience has helped confirm to me that I can manage working with decomposition. It's also opened my eyes to the many methods of research surrounding this field.
I would definitely recommend this area of research to anyone interested in anatomy and the effects on the body post-mortem. The placement is really beneficial for people doing forensic degrees. It's a unique opportunity to gain experience working with decomposition in an educational environment, rather than having to experience it for the first time in a job.
