IN THIS EPISODE: Of all the instances of cannibalism found in human history, no one quite practiced it like some in China used to. In these cases, cannibalism came in the form of eating mellified flesh for medicinal purposes. In 16th century China, mellification was a way for elderly people nearing the end of their lives to donate their body to science. The idea, originally derived from an Arabic recipe, was that they could turn their bodies into medicine that would be ingested by their descendants to alleviate ailments like broken bones. The process of mellification was a gruesome one. In short, it consisted of very slowly turning one’s body into a mummified human candy bar. And that’s not even the worst part — for mellification to be the most effective, the process started while the person was still alive.SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…“And Mellified Man for Dessert” by Katie Serena: https://tinyurl.com/rjwv5cw“Honey, I’m Dead” by Paul Salopek: https://tinyurl.com/wz23h9d“Sugar-Glazed Grandpa” by Brent Swancer: https://tinyurl.com/w2mqzyp“Self-Mummification” from Stranger Remains: https://tinyurl.com/w795gxp“Better Health Through Cannibalism” by Natalie Zarrelli: https://tinyurl.com/tsqhqbl“Corpse Medicine” by Maria Dolan: https://tinyurl.com/y6spcbcbWeird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library= = = = =(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2024, Weird Darkness.= = = = =Originally aired: September, 2020CUSTOM LANDING PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/mellification-corpse-medicine