The Morgue

A morgue is a building or room used for the storage of human remains.

People frequently associate the word morgue with mors (death). This is a mistake.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word origin is from the French, “from la Morgue, a building in Paris used as a morgue, probably from morgue, haughty manner from Old French morguer, to look at solemnly, from Vulgar Latin *murricare, to make a face, from *murrum, muzzle.” [i]

The word’s meaning is related to visage and was first applied to a prison vestibule.

“Morgue” was originally used to describe the inner wicket of a prison, where prisoners were kept in holding for a while. This allowed the jailers and turnkeys to view them at their leisure thus becoming able to recognize them when required.

As to the dead, la Morgue, the building in France, was part of the Le Grand-Chatelet. Bodies were kept in la Morgue until they were identified. The usual corpses were supplied courtesy of murderers and bad swimmers fished from the river Seine.

In modern morgues, human bodies are kept in cold chambers of which there are two types. The first is a positive temperature cold chamber. This is the more common type and is used for keeping bodies from a few days up to a few weeks. Decomposition of the corpse continues but at a reduced pace due to the low temperature. A positive temperature cold chamber maintains the bodies between 36 and 39° Fahrenheit or between +2 and +4° Celsius. Negative temperature cold chambers, the second variety, are generally found in forensic institutes. They are used to keep bodies for longer periods of time. Usually these are corpses that have not yet been identified. In a negative temperature cold chamber, the body is completely frozen which prevents decomposition. Negative temperature cold chambers are kept at a temperature between -5 and -13° Fahrenheit or between -15 and -25° Celsius.

Until 1876, the Cook County Morgue was housed in City Hospital. After 1876 it was located in Cook County Hospital.

The earliest records of the Cook County Morgue are from 1842. Since at least that time, the Cook County Morgue has served as the official site of inquiry into every questionable death in Cook County, Illinois.

Except for at least one: JA’s.

On December 01, 2003 the average daily temperature in Chicago was 38.6° Fahrenheit. On that day, Joe Applebaum’s temperature was 98.6° Fahrenheit. On December 02, 2003, the average daily temperature in Chicago was 30.1° Fahrenheit. By the end of the day on December 02, 2003, Joe Applebaum’s temperature was between 36 and 39° Fahrenheit or between +2 and +4° Celsius.

But he never made it to Cook County Morgue.

This novel is based on a true story.

Next:   Early December In Chicago