The word morgue comes from the name of building originally in Paris where bodies were laid out for identification. The term was more generally adopted in the 1880s to describe the place where autopsies were performed.
In Australia morgues are now officially referred to as Departments or Institutes of Forensic Medicine. They are the places where coroners investigate reportable deaths.
In a Department or Institute of Forensic Medicine the mortuary is the place where dead bodies are stored temporarily and the autopsy is performed.
Mortuaries are found either attached to a funeral home or attached to a Department or Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Modern mortuaries are usually rooms that have stainless-steel tables; refrigerators and floor coverings that go half way up the walls.
In Australia, the majority of human remains are stored and prepared in the mortuary of a funeral home. Preparation includes washing and disinfecting the body, suturing or packing of openings, embalming (if required), dressing the body and arranging it in the coffin.
Embalming may only be carried out in a mortuary by a certified embalmer. Some cultures do not permit embalming.
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2008
