Buzz
Before the term 'morgue' became widely used, it was known as the dead house. This was where the deceased were stored until their families could claim them or burial arrangements were finalized. Occasionally, bodies were dissected within its walls, and those nearing death were sometimes placed there to await their final moments.
The dead house captivated the morbid curiosity of locals. It served as a hub of entertainment for thrill-seekers and a source of gossip. Newspapers from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s frequently featured stories about the inner workings and scandals within its grim walls.
10. The Appalling Conditions of the Dead Houses
For the “unfortunates” who passed away in Albany, Western Australia, in 1889, death offered no dignity. Their remains were stored in a small shed on the prison grounds, where water dripped onto their bodies from a leaky roof.
Once inside the dead house, their bodies were laid on an aged wooden table. A thin blanket was used to cover their private areas until they were buried in unmarked graves.
The state of the dead house in Albany paled in comparison to the one in Beechworth, Victoria. In 1877, reports revealed that the hospital’s dead house was perilously unsafe. Doctors described it as filled with “the most foul and decaying matter imaginable.” Dr. Dobbyn stated it was “essentially a breeding ground for disease.”
A committee concluded that a new dead house needed to be built nearby. However, several doctors feared that dismantling the old structure and disturbing the soil beneath could unleash a deadly epidemic on the population.
The building was so repulsive that doctors even speculated the hospital could be endangering lives by sending workers to demolish it. Instead, they advised leaving the ground beneath the structure untouched to avoid potential hazards.
9. Rat Infestation
In 1911, a debate arose over the handling of the dead house in Bantry, Ireland. The deceased were temporarily stored in a workhouse chapel until their families could claim them and arrange for burial.
The primary issue with the dead house was its overwhelming rat problem. The rat infestation in the chapel was so severe that heavy stones had to be placed on coffins to stop the rats from gnawing on the corpses.
The discussion about resolving the issue grew intense, with at least one individual expressing no concern over rats consuming the dead.
8. Woke Up Surrounded by Two Dead Bodies
Picture waking up beside dead bodies. This occurred in San Francisco, California, in 1870, when a German patient in a hospital was mistakenly declared dead. His body was swiftly moved to the hospital’s dead house and “placed in a compartment already occupied by two other corpses, sandwiched between them. The lid was closed, and the caretaker left for the night.”
Around midnight, the German man awoke, screaming and wailing. Hospital staff alerted the caretaker, urging him to investigate, but fear paralyzed him. He initially decided to let the ghosts settle their own disputes, but eventually, he succumbed to pressure and checked the room.
When the caretaker opened the door, he found the German standing in the burial shroud meant for the dead and immediately fainted. The German bolted out of the room and dashed through the hospital hallways. His panic was so intense that staff had to physically restrain him until he collapsed to the ground.
A doctor was summoned and managed to calm the German, bringing him back to his senses.
7. A Place to Meet Death
The dead house in Chinatown, Los Angeles, California, served an additional purpose: housing those on the brink of death. As reported in 1888, “A Chinese ‘dead house’ is typically a dilapidated, remote shack where individuals suffering from incurable diseases are abandoned to die.”
In one instance, a man afflicted with leprosy was found in the dead house. A police officer entered and discovered the severely weakened man, writhing in agony and seemingly decaying from within.
The alarmed officer returned to police headquarters to report the situation. Given the man’s leprosy, a highly feared disease, authorities chose to leave him in the dead house until they could determine the appropriate course of action.
No further updates were published about the incident, but it is likely the man eventually succumbed to his condition within the dead house.
6. Lack of Running Water
Among the essential amenities one would expect in a dead house, running water should undoubtedly be a priority. However, in an 1886 letter to the editor, a concerned citizen highlighted the issues plaguing the dead house in Fremantle, Western Australia.
The letter revealed that the dead house, where autopsies were frequently conducted, lacked running water entirely. The room had no proper workbench, and the door failed to lock securely. This allowed unrestricted access, leading to potential desecration of bodies or unwelcome interruptions during critical autopsies.
Despite the colonial surgeon’s repeated appeals to higher authorities for a solution, no action was taken to address the disrespect shown to the deceased. While financial constraints were likely the cause, public outrage over the appalling conditions continued to grow.
5. Salisbury Prison
John G. Weaver, a member of the 2nd Ohio Cavalry during the US Civil War, recounted being treated well by his Southern captors until the day he was transported by train to Salisbury Prison in North Carolina.
Within the prison, Weaver witnessed countless starving inmates. Food was scarce, and on some days, the men received nothing to eat. Compounding their misery, the prison was cold, damp, and muddy during rainy seasons, leading to numerous deaths from starvation and illness.
Every morning, the death guards collected the dying and near-death prisoners, depositing their bodies in the dead house. Weaver described the grim scene: “All day long, their emaciated and half-naked forms were carried by the death guards or surviving comrades to the dead house, where they were stacked like firewood.”
Once the bodies were delivered to the dead house, a “dead wagon” transported them to mass trench graves. Despite the wagon’s constant trips, the dead house remained perpetually filled with corpses.
4. Two Trips to the Dead House
In 1901, Robert Hughes was transported by police cab to Newcastle Hospital in Australia. Upon arrival at the hospital gates, Hughes was briefly examined inside the cab and declared dead on arrival. Following protocol, the cab drove to the rear of the hospital, and Hughes was brought into the dead house.
He was laid on a cold slab, which likely sent a shock through his system. Suddenly, he began to move and breathe heavily on the table. The police were alarmed, and a doctor was summoned to the dead house.
After a swift examination confirmed Hughes was indeed alive, he was moved to a hospital bed. Tragically, he passed away a second time just five minutes later. This time, he remained dead and was returned to the dead house once more.
The doctors were uncertain about the exact cause of death but speculated that Hughes had succumbed to either old age or poisoning.
3. Temporary Dead House
Temporary dead houses often become necessary in the aftermath of major accidents involving multiple fatalities. One such devastating incident occurred in Victoria, Australia, in 1908, when two trains collided. Several first- and second-class carriages were obliterated, leaving victims “severed and crushed by shattered wood and metal debris.”
The trains caught fire, trapping and burning the injured while thick smoke hindered rescue efforts. The scene was strewn with bodies, and survivors stumbled over the dead and wounded. The tragedy claimed 43 lives and left 232 others injured.
News of the accident spread rapidly, and soon the station was overwhelmed with friends and relatives of the train passengers. Curiosity-seekers also arrived, hoping to witness the grim aftermath.
Medical personnel and railway staff hurried to rescue survivors from the wreckage. Once the living were attended to, the dead were removed. As one report described:
The platform was littered with the bodies of men and women, their faces disfigured beyond recognition and limbs crushed. One corpse, with its head entirely severed, lay near the mangled remains of a mother clutching her lifeless baby. Another man’s body was suspended between two carriages, trapped in a position where rescuers were powerless to free him.
As the bodies were gathered, two waiting rooms were converted into a makeshift dead house. All furniture was removed, and the corpses were arranged side by side. Blood from fresh wounds pooled on the floors, while dim lamps illuminated the scene, revealing the tattered clothing and pallid faces of the victims. Mourners entered in small groups, six at a time, to identify their loved ones.
2. Overwhelmed by Grief
Paris’s dead house was located along the Seine and served as a repository for those who met violent ends. Whether the victims perished on land or in the water, their bodies were stored there until claimed by family or interred in paupers’ graves.
In 1839, two men managed the dead house, living with their families on the building’s upper floor. Assisted by their wives, they maintained meticulous records of the deceased: names (when known), causes of death, and the dates the bodies arrived.
The men encountered countless tragedies at La Morgue, but one of the most heart-wrenching involved a young girl named Leonore. One winter day, her tiny, lifeless body was placed on a marble slab in the dead house, brought in by her nurse.
Tearfully, the nurse recounted how she and the child had been traveling on a stagecoach. The nurse had dozed off, and the child had wandered away, suffocating amidst the luggage of other passengers.
The nurse gently placed the little girl down, kissing her cheeks and tiny hands. She pleaded with the dead house attendant to revive the child. When she realized it was impossible, she requested to see the girl’s vibrant blue eyes one final time.
The nurse departed but returned shortly. Her body was soon wheeled into the dead house, water dripping from it. She was laid beside the little girl, both awaiting someone to claim them.
1. The Skull That Moved
Pranks in the dead house were once a regular occurrence. Many stories exist of medical students pretending to be corpses or staging ghostly encounters, but one doctor experienced an entirely different kind of nighttime terror.
In an 1884 interview with a New Orleans newspaper, the doctor recounted a case involving a patient with an aneurysm. Intrigued by the condition, he resolved to conduct an autopsy after the patient’s death. The patient passed away shortly after, and the body was sent to the dead house for examination.
The doctor arrived at the dead house an hour before midnight. He began dissecting and examining his former patient under the light of a single gas burner. Suddenly, he heard a shuffling sound from a corner of the room, startling him as he believed he was alone.
He investigated the source of the noise but found only five skulls on the floor, which medical students were preparing for their collections.
Returning to the autopsy, he noticed movement from the same area. Pausing his work, he watched as a skull slowly inched toward him.
He scanned the floor for strings or tricks but found nothing. Feeling uneasy, the doctor sat on a stool, lit his pipe, and couldn’t tear his gaze away from the skull.
The skull began moving once more, heading directly toward him. It scraped across the floor until the doctor, unable to bear the tension any longer, leaped from his stool and grabbed the skull. Inside, he discovered a rat trapped in the brain cavity. After freeing the rat, the doctor resumed his work.
