Cremation of the Dead: Its History and Bearings Upon Public Health

Eassie, William, 1832-1888Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.6
Word count
200K words
Chapters
20

Tags

English Originals History and CultureHealth Public HealthMedical HistoryCremation HistorySocial ObservationConcepts of DeathSocial CritiquePolicy AnalysisFuneral Customs19th CenturyFolk Customs

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Cremation of the Dead: Its History and Bearings Upon Public Health by EassieAuthor: Eassie, William, 1832-1888,Language: English, Class: RA: Medicine: Public aspects of medicine, Release Date: Mar 15, 2015

Editor's review

This is a public-domain English work by William Eassie on the history of cremation and its bearing upon public health, classified under the social aspects of medicine and public health by Project Gutenberg. Its value lies in placing funerary practice within the discussion of history and public health, offering readers a primary text for understanding how modern society has viewed cremation. As a free e-book, it serves as supplementary material for the history of public health, the history of funerary culture, or the study of social customs, and as background reading for those interested in cremation. Note that the discussion is shaped by its era and deals with death and the handling of remains; readers should keep the historical context in mind and not treat its views as a basis for contemporary medical or funerary standards. For current regulations, operational guidelines, or contemporary public health data, consult authoritative sources.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. First understand the author's historical context, then read his discussion of cremation and public health.
  2. Read alongside works on public health history or funerary customs to identify the limitations of the era.
  3. Content involving death and the handling of remains is best read in chapters rather than in one continuous sitting.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
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  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
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  11. 11
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FAQ

Can this book serve as a reference for contemporary cremation policy? Not directly. It is an English work with a historical background, discussing views of cremation and public health in the author's era. For current regulations, technical standards, or the latest public health recommendations, consult contemporary materials issued by authoritative bodies.
Do I need a medical background to read this book? A medical background is not required. The book is a public health and historical discussion; general English reading ability and basic historical knowledge are enough to begin. When medical or sanitary terms appear, use reference works as needed—there is no need to read it as closely as a professional textbook.
The book deals with death—what should I keep in mind while reading? The book discusses the history of cremation and the handling of remains, involving content about death. Readers sensitive to such topics may read it in chapters and shift attention afterward; if reading causes marked discomfort, pause and choose other material.

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About the author

Eassie, William, 1832-1888 Author · British · 1832–1888

Eassie, William (1832–1888) was a British architect and a public health reformer. Public information about his life is limited; his known works show a lasting concern with housing sanitation and drainage, on which he wrote several books. The library holds one of his works, Cremation of the Dead: Its History and Bearings Upon Public Health, which discusses cremation from both a historical and a public health perspective, linking burial practices to urban sanitation and disease prevention. It reflects his approach of addressing public health issues through architectural and engineering knowledge. His writing is grounded in practical sanitary conditions, aimed at public and policy discussion, plain in style and attentive to feasibility, and it offers some reference value for the British public health and funeral reform debates of his time.