Cooperative Cadaveric Custody

I gingerly handle the deadTo ensure a bruiseless corpseI observe all methods of postmortem careAnd standards as a matter of courseMost decedents are viewed open casketSo it behooves the pathologist to knowThe techniques to use when handling deceasedSo autopsy markings don't showWe charily follow the necropsy scheduleAnd behave as cautious prosectorsCorpses leave the morgue's custodyAnd enter the domain of the Funeral DirectorAll sutured incisions should be sharp and cleanAnd under burial attire, must remain unseenWhen positioning the carcass on its anterior sidePrevent facial bruising, so difficult to hideDuring cranial examination, reflect the scalp past the hairline at your own riskYou might leave creases in the forehead that the embalmer can't effaceUpon removal of the brain, before the notched calvarium is replacedFill the cavity with absorbent material to hold the cranial shapeRemove the testesThrough the inguinal canalBecause posterior perforationsAllow embalming fluid outPathology becomes an artWhen dead are opened with nominal marksEmbalmers welcome my proficiencyAnd morticians value my scrutinyCarotid neck organs left intactIliac arteries promptly ligaturedThe stiff is deftly rendered leak proofWith a Y-incision running sutureOrgans are restored to the body in a plastic bagThe breastplate returned to reduce chest sagRinsing the corpse with cold water, we purifyThen allow the body to drip clean and air dryRefrigerated to stave off the ravaging putrefactive progressive skin changesDusky hands rest on abdomens as tied gauze strips cinch slack arms into placeThe hearse-delivered corpse is signed over to local funeral director representativesWhere, at the parlor, they'll lay the rotting head on a perfumed casket pillowcaseRemove the rectumFar from the anusLest embalming fluid leakFrom a rectal stump unligatedFuneral home assistants haunt hospital basement alleysFor sundered anatomized cadaveric deliveriesPiled into hearses, to the chagrin of watching nurses,The enshrouded carcass reeks most unsavorilyCarcass sealed expertlyUndue holes mitigatedStench increasingly redolentAs fluids are aspiratedBeyond the toe-tagged feetBeneath the blood drenched sheetsInside the cavities sewnThe morgue's marriage with the funeral home