The Modern Mann

Pathology technician Carla Valentine always knew she wanted to work with corpses. In childhood, she conducted funerals for roadkill. These days, she is curator of the St Bart’s Museum of Pathology, and a passionate advocate for more discussion about what happens when the mortuary doors swing shut. In this interview with Olly, she reveals how to prepare for an autopsy, how to get a sense of how a person lived from examining their remains, and how to create that ‘look of gentle repose’ so important to grieving families. You’ll discover when rigor mortis starts, how identify the difference between primary and secondary flaccidity, and you'll learn about alkaline hydrolysis (‘the new cremation’) and the American trend for being embalmed sitting up. For this week’s Lifehack, Sasha Morgan from Peckham-based arts educational charity Bold Everywhere reveals her top tips to run a successful meeting: know your objectives, invite the right people, and assemble your allies before the meeting even commences. The Lifehack