Placenta! It's what's for dinner!

[pathstudent]

Have you all heard about people eating their placentas. There are even cookbooks and recipes for it. A resident showed me a site on the web. And the people that write about it of course live in Berkely, Boulder and New Mexico and places like that. Can you imagine anything more disgusting? Supposely Tom Cruise was going to eat his baby's one too.

I don't know why it seems revolting when people eat liver, kidney, pancreas, and intestines. I have even been to taco stands where they have brain tacos. Too be honest those all seem disgusting to me too. And to be even more honest, skeletal muscle seems pretty gross thing to chomp down on too.

But afterbirth!? Think about that the next time you open up a bucket of placenta!

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[KCShaw]

When I was in residency we had a couple of requests from families who wanted the placenta returned to them. If I recall correctly, one wanted to bury it on their land for some reason. There was rumor that the other wanted to consume it. That was about the time we found a not-small number of websites discussing the topic and suggesting recipes, copies of which drifted into places around the department they weren't necessarily welcomed.

Of course, there are also websites that address the same for human flesh (www.churchofeuthanasia.org), some of it at least based on Jonathan Swift's suggestions, as well as at least one that claims to make human leather handbags and similar goods (www.humanleather.co.uk).

Certainly there are individuals who partake in such endeavors, though I remain a bit skeptical as to how widespread and/or organized the activities, rather than simply the talk, really are. At least among those who advertise on the net.

 

[icpshootyz]

Have you all heard about people eating their placentas. There are even cookbooks and recipes for it. A resident showed me a site on the web. And the people that write about it of course live in Berkely, Boulder and New Mexico and places like that. Can you imagine anything more disgusting? Supposely Tom Cruise was going to eat his baby's one too.

I don't know why it seems revolting when people eat liver, kidney, pancreas, and intestines. I have even been to taco stands where they have brain tacos. Too be honest those all seem disgusting to me too. And to be even more honest, skeletal muscle seems pretty gross thing to chomp down on too.

But afterbirth!? Think about that the next time you open up a bucket of placenta!

As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure! And hey, if you want to eat your own "afterbirth", by all means! That will save me from having to gross it and mess up my cutting bench! But as for organ meats, depending on the chef they can be pretty darn good. I've had some gourmet meals made w/ some lowly animal parts and they were fantastic. Besides, in many cultures they can't afford to waste any part of the animal, so often it's consumed out of necessity and not for taste. But over time it becomes part of a culture and it is no longer reviled. We Americans are pretty staunch in our skeletal muscle-only policies, but we're the minority in the world. Besides, there's so much good human protein just going to waste each year!

 

[Pathologee]

Placenta. The other white meat.

 

[Pathologee]

Placenta. And I helped.

 

[zao275]

...as well as at least one that claims to make human leather handbags and similar goods (www.humanleather.co.uk).

Wow. Shocking. Did you see the prices? http://www.humanleather.co.uk/bespokepricing.html

 

[KCShaw]

Yeah.. there's a good pick for Dirtiest Jobs. Go on Mike, you can do it.

I really would like to know if it's for real &/or legal/regulated in any of the 1st world countries. Most places have pretty strict regulations regarding disposition of human remains, but at the same time you can bury a body on your own land and bypass at least some of the restrictions normally placed on funeral homes (I believe that's all state regulated, not federal). Anyway, if not, it's a heck of a bold scam. I can just see some 3rd world prince releasing the hounds if it turns out he ended up with cow leather shoes rather than homo sapiens sneakers (of course, finding out for sure wouldn't exactly be easy on extensively treated leather, would it?).

 

[h2cooper]

I think when people eat their placentas, they dehydrate them first. It's supposed to ward off post-partum depression.

And I DO know a bunch of people who have buried their placentas. Some of my friends buried theirs under a new sapling in their yard, and then refer to it as a special tree for their child. Take pictures with it each year, etc.

 

[pathstudent]

I understand feeling sentimental about something attached to your baby but once you see what we have seen. You realize that you might as well bury a piece of dook.

 

[Entgegen]

...but once you see what we have seen. You realize that you might as well bury a piece of dook.

I lol'd.