Morgue - wikipedia Morgue `` Mortuary '' redirects here. For other uses, see Mortuary ( disambiguation ). This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) The examples and perspective in this date2010 may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. ( April 2014 ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2008 ) A hospital mortuary and pathology laboratory in Bath, England Inside view of a morgue A close - up view of a dead body in the morgue in Charité. A morgue or mortuary ( in a hospital or elsewhere ) is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification or removal for autopsy or respectful burial, cremation or other method. In modern times corpses have customarily been refrigerated to delay decomposition. Contents 1 Etymology and lexicology 2 Types of cold chambers 3 Mortuaries across the globe 3.1 Waiting mortuary 4 Alternate meanings 5 See also 6 References Etymology and lexicology Mortuary early 14c., from Anglo - French mortuarie `` gift to a parish priest from a deceased parishioner, '' from Medieval Latin mortuarium, noun use of neuter of Late Latin adjective mortuarius `` pertaining to the dead, '' from Latin mortuus, pp. of mori `` to die '' ( see mortal ( adj. ) ). Meaning `` place where bodies are kept temporarily '' first recorded 1865, a euphemism for earlier English term `` deadhouse. '' Morgue from the French morgue, which means ' to look at solemnly, to defy '. First used to describe the inner wicket of a prison, where new prisoners were kept so that jailers and turnkeys could recognize them in the future, it took on its modern meaning in fifteenth - century Paris, being used to describe part of the Châtelet used for the storage and identification of unknown corpses. Morgue is predominantly used in North American English, while mortuary is more common in British English, although both terms are used interchangeably. The euphemisms `` Rose Cottage '' and `` Rainbow 's End '' are sometimes used in British hospitals to enable discussion in front of patients, the latter mainly for children. A person responsible for handling and washing bodies is now known as a diener, morgue attendant, or autopsy technician. Types of cold chambers There are two types of mortuary cold chambers : Positive temperature Bodies are kept between 2 ° C ( 36 ° F ) and 4 ° C ( 39 ° F ). While this is usually used for keeping bodies for up to several weeks, it does not prevent decomposition, which continues at a slower rate than at room temperature. Negative temperature Bodies are kept at between − 10 ° C ( 14 ° F ) and − 50 ° C ( − 58 ° F ). Usually used at forensic institutes, particularly when a body has not been identified. At these temperatures the body is completely frozen and decomposition is very much reduced. Mortuaries across the globe This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( July 2010 ) The first morgue in New York City, opened in 1866 at Bellevue Hospital An autopsy is performed in the morgue. This image was the Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp In some countries, the body of the deceased is embalmed before disposal, which makes refrigeration unnecessary. In many countries, the family of the deceased must make the burial within 72 hours ( three days ) of death, but in some other countries it is usual that burial takes place some weeks or months after the death. This is why some corpses are kept as long as one or two years at a hospital or in a funeral home. When the family has enough money to organize the ceremony, the corpse is taken from the cold chamber for burial. In some funeral homes, the morgue is in the same room, or directly adjacent to, the specially designed ovens, known as retorts, that are used in funerary cremation. Some religions dictate that, should a body be cremated, the family must witness its incineration. To honor these religious rites, many funeral homes install a viewing window, which allows the family to watch as the body is inserted into the retort. In this way, the family can honor their customs without entering the morgue. Waiting mortuary A waiting mortuary is a mortuary building designed specifically for the purpose of confirming that deceased persons are truly deceased. Prior to the advent of modern methods of verifying death, people feared that they would be buried alive. To alleviate such fears, the recently deceased were housed for a time in waiting mortuaries, where attendants would watch for signs of life. The corpses would be allowed to decompose partially prior to burial. Waiting mortuaries were most popular in 19th - century Germany, and were often large, ornate halls. A bell was strung to the corpses to alert attendants of any motion. Although there is no documented case of a person being saved from accidental burial in this way, it is sometimes erroneously believed that this was the origin of the phrase `` saved by the bell '', whilst in fact, the phrase originates from the sport of boxing. Alternate meanings In American English : Morgue is used to refer to the room in which newspaper or magazine publishers keep their back issues and other historical references, as they serve a similar purpose to human morgues. See Morgue file. Morgue is used in some science fiction books as the name for the armory aboard ships, when they contain some form of powered armour. Mortuary can also refer to a funeral home. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Morgues. See also Body bag Diener Pathology Tissue digestion Toe tag Body farm References Jump up ^ Morgan, Oliver ( 2006 ). Management of Dead Bodies after Disasters : A Field Manual for First Responders. Pan American Health Organization. p. 49. ISBN 92 75 12630 5 -- via Michigan State University SearchPlus. Jump up ^ BBC documentary - Fry 's Planet Word : Episode 3 : `` Uses and Abuses '' 9 Oct 2011 Jump up ^ Zentralblatt der allgemeine Pathologie ; 1957 May 4 ; 96 ( 5 - 6 ) : 280 - 86 ; NIH.gov Jump up ^ Roach, Mary ( 2003 ). Stiff : The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0 - 393 - 32482 - 6. Jump up ^ Saved by the bell at Phrases.org Death Outline In medicine Cell death Necrosis Avascular necrosis Coagulative necrosis Liquefactive necrosis Gangrenous necrosis Caseous necrosis Fat necrosis Fibrinoid necrosis Temporal lobe necrosis Programmed cell death AICD Anoikis Apoptosis Autophagy Intrinsic apoptosis Necroptosis Paraptosis Parthanatos Phenoptosis Pseudoapoptosis Pyroptosis Autolysis Autoschizis Eschar Immunogenic cell death Ischemic cell death Pyknosis Karyorrhexis Karyolysis Mitotic catastrophe Suicide gene Abortion Autopsy Brain death Brainstem death Clinical death DOA Death by natural causes Death rattle Dysthanasia End - of - life care Euthanasia Lazarus sign Lazarus syndrome Medical definition of death Organ donation Terminal illness Unnatural death Lists Causes of death by rate Expressions related to death Natural disasters People by cause of death Premature obituaries Preventable causes of death Notable deaths by year Unusual deaths TV actors who died during production Mortality Birthday effect Child mortality Gompertz -- Makeham law of mortality Immortality Biological Digital Infant mortality Karōshi Maternal death Maternal mortality in fiction Memento mori Micromort Mortality displacement Mortality rate RAMR Mortality salience Perinatal mortality After death Body Stages Pallor mortis Algor mortis Rigor mortis Livor mortis Putrefaction Decomposition Skeletonization Fossilization Preservation Cryopreservation Cryonics Neuropreservation Embalming Maceration Mummification Plastination Prosection Taxidermy Disposal Burial Bed burial Burial at sea Chariot burial Jar burial Natural burial Premature burial Secondary burial Ship burial Sky burial Space burial Cannibalism Cremation Dismemberment Excarnation Promession Resomation Beating heart cadaver Body donation Cadaveric spasm Coffin birth Death erection Dissection Gibbeting Postmortem Caloricity Post-mortem interval Other aspects Afterlife Cemetery Consciousness Customs Death mask Eternal oblivion Examination Funeral Grief Intermediate state Internet Mourning Obituary Resurrection Taboo on the dead Vigil Paranormal Ghosts Near - death experience Near - death studies Necromancy Out - of - body experience Reincarnation research Séance Legal Abortion law Administration Capital punishment Cause of death Civil death Coroner Death - qualified jury Death certificate Declared death in absentia Death row Dying declaration Faked death Inquest Legal death Murder Prohibition of death Right to die Suspicious death Trust law Will Fields Forensic pathology Funeral director Mortuary science Necrobiology Post-mortem chemistry Post-mortem photography Taphonomy Biostratinomy Thanatology Other Apparent death Dark tourism Darwin Awards Dead pool Death and culture Death anniversary Death anxiety Death deity Personification of death Dying - and - rising god Psychopomp Death camp Death drive Death education Death from laughter Death hoax Death knell Death march Death messenger Death notification Death panel Death poem Death pose Death squad Death threat Death trajectory Dignified death Extinction Fan death Festival of the Dead Fascination with death Homicide Information - theoretic death Last rites Martyr Megadeath Museum of Death Necronym Necrophilia Necrophobia The Order of the Good Death Predation Sacrifice human animal Spiritual death Suicide Assisted suicide Thanatosensitivity Undead Voodoo death Portal WikiProject Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Morgue&oldid=810235918 '' Categories : Medical aspects of death Forensic facilities Hidden categories : Articles with limited geographic scope from April 2014 Articles needing additional references from October 2008 All articles needing additional references Articles with multiple maintenance issues All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2010 Articles needing additional references from July 2010 Articles with unsourced statements from April 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Български Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Frysk Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Македонски മലയാളം Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Română Русский Simple English Slovenščina Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 14 November 2017, at 02 : 33. 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Question: where do they keep dead bodies in a hospital
Answer: morgue