corpse
A corpse is the remains or body of a deceased person.
For legal use, such as in the case of Carter v. City of Zanesville et al ., the term “corpse” may only refer to human remains before significant decomposition occurs. Also relevant is the precise definition of when death occurs.
A corpse creates a theoretical puzzle of categorization between person and object. It is a thing that can be sold, donated for medical research, or properly disposed of. However, it was once a person whose loved ones might desire respectful treatment according to their individual religious or ideological beliefs. This leads to the “ status of the human corpse in the United States as a kind of quasi-property, something that cannot be bought or sold, but to which some people have stronger claims than others .” Still, there are laws surrounding the care and respectful treatment of a corpse, such as abuse of corpse laws .
The complex nature of a corpse makes the definition of corpse relevant across a variety of legal fields, including property law , health law and medical malpractice , and mortuary law . See also: quasi property rights of a human body .
[Last reviewed in September of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team ]
Wex