The Medicalization of Death: A Mini-Essay

     As historian Philippe Ariès reveals, death has always possessed a communal nature: “Like every great milestone in life, death is celebrated by a ceremony that is always more or less solemn and whose purpose is to express the individual’s solidarity with his family and community.”[1] Throughout much of Western history, the scholar explains, there was constantly a public element to dying: the deathbed was attended by a swarm of loved ones; a bereavement notice was posted on the door for all passersby; the front door was left ajar to admit anyone wishing to make a final visit; church services and the procession to the graveyard involved the entire community; and the mourning family was frequently visited for days and weeks following the funeral.[2] The second half of the nineteenth century, however, brought an enormous change to the act of dying through the medicalization of death. Witnessed throughout Western civilization and even literature of the era, including Leo Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” (1886), care of the dying moved from the hands of relatives and into the hands of the medical profession.[3] Likewise, commencing in the 1930s and progressing throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the deathbed migrated from the home, where the burden of caring for the dying was the task of sympathetic family and friends, and into the hospital, where the responsibility was relegated to trained medical personnel.[4] Furthermore, the funeral and mourning process experienced a similar solitude, with the community rituals of wakes, processions, and receptions no longer open to society as a whole, but immediate acquaintances and relatives who knew the deceased in varying degrees of intimacy.[5] All of this, Ariès argues, “eliminated [death’s] character of public ceremony, and made it a private act.”[6] It also, the scholar maintains, makes the act of death invisible by relegating its presence to the hospital, the time of death controllable by allowing medicalization to lengthen or shorten its duration to suit the doctor’s desires, and the process of mourning a private affair by masking its sorrows in the confines of the home rather than the streets of the community.[7] Indeed, as Ariès laments: “we ignore the existence of a scandal that we have been unable to prevent; we act as if it did not exist; and thus mercilessly force the bereaved to say nothing.”[8]

Works Referenced 

Ariès, Philippe. The Hour of Our Death: The Classic History of Western Attitudes Toward Death Over the Last One Thousand Years. 1977. Trans. Helen Weaver. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2000. 
____________________
[1] Ariès, 603.
[2] Ariès, 559-560.
[3] Ariès, 561-570.
[4] Ariès, 570-571.
[5] Ariès, 575-579.
[6] Ariès, 575.
[7] Ariès, 579-601.
[8] Ariès, 613-614.

Masked Clown Skull

$15 - $20 (based on 2017 prices)

Makes one skull

As expressed in the introductions to both the skull with candle and swamp hag, I like renovating the dull Halloween props I buy on clearance at the end of each season. Most of the time, their obscured potentials are effortlessly revealed with a little glue, paint, and imagination; however, sometimes, as in the case of this particular build, the end result is even worse than the initial product. You can’t win them all, right? C’est la vie.

• One human-size ceramic skull with LED lights
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat blue*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat green*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat orange*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat purple*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat red*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat yellow*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat white*
• One dozen pom poms in various colors and sizes
• One 0.49 oz. bag of multicolored feathers
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*

1. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, apply three even coats of white paint to the skull. Although it took three coats to adequately cover the skull’s original color, you might require more or less depending on the preliminary paintjob. Additionally, darken the eyes and nose and outline the teeth with black paint.

2. Utilize a variety of colors in your choice to paint laughter randomly on the skull. You want the wording to be haphazard. To achieve this, exaggerate curves, create sharp points, and elongate certain aspects. You could also write letters backwards and deliberately misspell words. Keep in mind, though, that the words need to be readable, so try not to overdo your artistic flairs.

3. Using a brush with splayed bristles, pat orange paint around the mouth to create a messy smile. You want this to look disheveled and maniacal, so do not overthink your application.

4. Accent the skull with pom poms, gluing a large one to the nasal opening to fashion the clown’s nose. You could use one specific size and color to achieve a unified look or vary both the dimensions and hues for a more chaotic appearance. Likewise, you can apply the pom poms in a random pattern or create an intricate design.

5. Make a mask for the skull by adhering feathers to the area surrounding its eyes. Akin to the pom poms, you can attain a homogenous look by using feathers in the same size and color or a wild appearance with plumage in multiple dimensions and hues.

6. The prop can he enhanced further with additional details, such as clusters of bugs, to correspond with your haunt’s specific theme.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.

Worm Jar

$5 - $10 (based on 2019 prices)

Makes one jar

To begin 2019’s building season, I decided to kickstart the creative juices by crafting two props which I had intended to make for 2018’s witch den, which was part of my office’s annual decorating competition, but ran out of time. In this first version, I fabricated an old marinara jar into an insect-filled container to serve as ingredients for a witch’s brew. Although I used worms, they can easily be replaced with other bugs of your choosing.

• One twenty-four-ounce glass jar
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*
• One large package of rubber fishing worms (thirty worms per package)
• One piece of 8” x 11.5” copy paper with specimen labels printed on it
• One 6” x 6” square of white fabric
• At least four tablespoons of black tea (e.g. Darjeeling, Earl Gary, English Breakfast, etc.)
• At least four tablespoons of dark roasted coffee grounds
• One pan large enough to soak the copy paper and fabric
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• One to two feet of twine
  

1. Thoroughly wash and dry the jar. If there is any sticker residue, use rubbing alcohol to remove it (soak a paper towel in the solution, let it sit over the area for a few minutes, and wipe away the remaining glue). After cleaning the jar, roughen its surface with coarse sandpaper to help the paint adhere.

2. Give the jar a grimy appearance by watering down brown paint and brushing it over the exterior surface (you can also use a spray bottle for the application). Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes and then wipe it clean. You may want to experiment with the consistency prior to doing this: the more water you add, the fainter/lighter the wash; the less water you add, the deeper/darker the wash. Continue the process until you reach the level of distress you desire.

3. Complete the aged patina by applying a flecking of black paint. You can do this by either quickly flicking a paintbrush or using an old toothbrush and strumming your finger across the bristles. Since this process flings paint everywhere, it’s best to perform it outside. If you plan to display the prop outdoors for an extended period of time, consider applying a sealer to prevent the weather from damaging the paint.

4. Pour the worms into the jar. Depending on your chosen aesthetic, you can completely pack the container or, as I did, only partially fill it. Likewise, you can elect whether or not to add clusters of dirt, grass, or Spanish moss to the bottom of the jar before filling it.

5. Boil enough water to completely submerge the copy paper and pour it into the pan. Add the tea. The longer you allow the tea to brew, the darker the stain will become. Likewise, greater amounts of tea will produce a richer stain. I found that a combination of English and Irish Breakfast brewed for over ten minutes produces a nice, deep brown. Submerge the paper into the tea mixture and soak it until it reaches the color you desire. I soaked mine for eight hours and scattered the loose-leaf tea over the top of the paper to add spots. Remove the paper from the water and allow it to dry. Once the paper has dried, cut out the specimen label, roughen its surface with sandpaper, and glue it to the jar.

6. Boil enough water to completely submerge the fabric and pour it into the pan. Add the coffee. The longer you allow the coffee to brew, the darker the stain will become. Likewise, greater amounts of coffee will produce a richer stain. Submerge the cloth in the coffee mixture and soak it until it reaches the color you desire. I soaked mine for four days and scattered the coffee grounds over the top of the fabric to add spots. Remove the cloth from the water and allow it to dry. Once it has dried, center the fabric on the opening of the jar and glue it in place.

7. Wrap the mouth of the jar with twine and knot the ends. Also, shred the edges of the cloth to create a messy and uneven appearance.

8. To make the fabric look even dirtier, water down brown paint and brush it over the cloth. Akin to step two, you might want to play with the mixture before applying it to the prop.

9. You can enhance the prop’s appearance further by ripping holes in the top of the cloth or gluing worms to the exterior of the jar.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.

“The Life-Preserving Coffin” (A Poem)

A reaction to a presentation of Mr. Isenbrant’s life-preserving coffin at the American Institute Fair in New York City, Seba Smith’s poem, “The Life-Preserving Coffin,” is an exceedingly sentimental piece which fed into the growing Victorian concerns regarding premature burial.[1] Fears over untimely interment, which started in France and Germany in the seventeenth century, infiltrated the United States, primarily the regions of Massachusetts and New Jersey, during the nineteenth-century and prompted the formation of anti-premature-burial societies, the publication of a community newspaper called Our Dumb Animals, the release of William Tebb’s international bestseller Premature Burial and How It May Be Prevented in 1896, the creation of multiple literary works dealing with the anxiety (Edgar Allan Poe was the most prolific, with the theme appearing in “Berenice,” “The Black Cat,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “Ligeia,” “Morella,” and “The Premature Burial”), and the patenting of twenty-two security coffin designs between 1868 and 1925.[2] In Smith’s poem, the common motif of innocence witnessed in many of the premature burial narratives is displayed through the young girl who is hastily entombed yet miraculously saved by Isenbrant’s invention.

They laid her in the coffin, 
When the breath of life had fled, 
And a soft and satin pillow 
Was placed beneath her head;

And round her form was folded
A robe of silken white,
And the lid was closed and fastened,
Shutting out the cheerful light.

But near those lifeless fingers
Is placed a little spring,
That with the slightest motion
The lid will open fling.

So to the tomb the mourners
Have borne her from away,
And back to their cheerless dwelling
Have gone to weep and pray.

There safe will be her resting,
For the door is bolted tight;
None shall disturb the sleeper
Through her long and silent night.

The door is barred and bolted,
But the lock hath so been planned,
That a key within turns only
By that dead sleeper’s hand.

And in her silent dwelling,
A bell, of solemn tone,
Is hung where none can move it,
Save her dead hand alone.

To her long home they’ve borne her,
In her silken winding sheet,
And many a stricken mourner,
Hath gone about the street.

And now the still night cometh –
The moon is over head,
And in their homes the living
Sleep soundly as the dead.

But there’s one lonely watcher,
O’er whom sleep hath no power;
She looks from out the window,
Long past the midnight hour.

It is the weeping mother;
Her eyes are on the tomb,
And her heart is with that daughter,
Cut down in maiden bloom.

Why starts that mother wildly?
Why is her cheek so red?
Why from that window farther
Still leaneth out of head?

She turneth to her chamber,
And crieth out for joy;
She calleth to her husband,
And to her darling boy –

“Arise, arise, O husband!
The dear, lost child is found;
The solemn bell is ringing;
I hear the heavenly sound.”

Then forth into the graveyard
Full quickly they have sped;
And that strong door is opened,
Where sleeps the lovely dead.

And there they saw their daughter,
As the moonbeams on her fell,
In her narrow coffin sitting,
Ringing that solemn bell.[3]

Works Referenced

Bondeson, Jan. Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2001.

Smith, Seba. “The Life -Preserving Coffin.” The Rover: A Weekly Magazine of Tales, Poetry, and Engravings. Vol. 2. Ed. Seba Smith. New York: S.B. Dean and Company, 1844. 281-282.
____________________ 
[1] Smith, 281.
[2] Bondeson, 183-237.
[3] Smith, 281-282.

Skull Posts

$40 - $50 (based on 2016 prices)

Makes three posts

Like every haunt, I begin the process with grand ambitions that the realities of energy, money, and time slowly reduce. For 2016’s haunted farm, I wanted to create dozens of these skull posts to line the walkways; however, because props such as the fake corn stalks, rotten pumpkins, and scarecrow consumed excessive amounts of time, my goals were reduced to three, which were scattered randomly throughout the haunt as accents. Despite this factor, these props became one of my favorite builds and have remained with me since the farm – even though I have no intentions of reusing them (they haven’t fit in any other theme since 2016).

• Three human-size plastic skulls
• Two to three yards of burlap
• One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue*
• Four to five yards of twine
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in Jacobean*
• Three plastic spiders
• Six buttons
• Two 1” x 2” x 8’ wooden posts
• One 2’ x 2’ square board
• One 1” x 4” x 8’ wooden board
• Fifteen sturdy wood screws
• One 8 oz. bottle of wood glue*
• One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in Classic Gray*
• One 10 oz. cans of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*

1. Remove the mandibles from the skulls and hot glue them agape to create screaming faces. To aid the process, use a sturdy object – a glass jar or tin can – to support the skulls as the glue dries. You may need to apply multiple coats to ensure a firm hold.

2. Cut a square of fabric from the burlap, cover an area on the skull with glue, and press the cloth down to conform to the item’s contours. Leave about a one-inch boarder free for the following step. Repeat the process until all three skulls are covered in patches of burlap.

3. Once the glue has fully dried, sew the patches’ boarders together with the twine. While I found one inch enough, you may want to leave additional fabric during the previous step to give you more to work with.

4. Trim and fray the seams. I found that a sheet of sandpaper helped create the level of distress I wanted.

5. Smudge black paint along the seams and within the eyes and noses to give the skulls a smoky appearance. You may want to experiment with a scrap of burlap before applying the paint to the fabric.

6. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, age the teeth and any other exposed bone with wood stain. I began by giving each one a light, even coat with a foam brush. After that, I applied heavy amounts of stain and patted away the excess with paper towels. You want the color to build up in the cracks and fissures. Although you may use whatever color of stain you desire, I chose Jacobean because it gives the items a rotted appearance. Once you have achieved your intended look, allow the skulls to dry. I let mine sit outside in the sun for three days. To save time, I only stained the exposed areas; however, you could stain all of the skulls before beginning step two.

7. Detail the skulls by threading twine across the openings of their eyes and mouths, attaching random buttons or gluing clusters of insects to their surfaces. You can aim for a more uniform appearance by applying the same embellishments to each or, as I did, make each one unique.

8. Measure, mark, and cut both of the 1” x 2” x 8’ posts into four four-foot sections and smooth their surfaces with sandpaper. This will form poles on which the heads will rest. Depending on your preferred height for the props, you may cut these posts longer or shorter. Since I wanted something manageable, I elected for four feet.

9. Measure, mark, and cut the 2’ x 2’ square board into four 1’ x 1’ sections and smooth their surfaces with sandpaper. This will form the bases for the posts. Akin to the poles, you may make these larger or smaller based on your haunt’s needs.

10. Measure, mark, and cut the 1” x 4” x 8’ board into six six-inch sections and smooth their surfaces with sandpaper. This will form the supports for the posts. Similar to the bases and poles, you can adjust their sizes to fit your desired dimensions.

11. Measure, mark, and predrill a hole in the center of each 1’ x 1’ board and do the same for one end of each post. Once this is done, use a sturdy wood screw to join the pieces together. For added support, apply a modest coat of wood glue to the posts before connecting them to the boards.

12. Measure, mark, and predrill two holes in the center of each six-inch board and perform the same task on both sides of the posts, ensuring the holes match up. Using wood screws, join all the pieces together. For added support, apply a modest coat of wood glue to the post and base before connecting the supports.

13. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, stain the wooden frames with Classic Gray wood stain. You want the props to appear worn, so do not worry if your coverage is not entirely pristine. Once you have achieved your intended look, allow the frames to completely dry. I let mine sit outside in the sun for three days. After the stain dries, complete the weathering process by dusting the frames with a coat of black spray paint.

14. Wrap twine around the posts. I discovered that starting at the base and working upward works best. Try not to overthink the patterns. A more haphazard design will look scarier. To help the string remain adhered to the wood, glue portions at various spot, namely around the corners.

15. Cut an opening in the bottom of each skull and use this to slide the heads onto the tops of the posts. You can glue the items in place, but I left mine detachable for storage purposes.

16. To enhance the props’ visual impact, consider placing LED tea lights in their mouths and using them as lights to line walkways.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.