O manual of our impending doom, teach us your secrets.
These snippets are from Mortuary Services in Civil Defense from 1956. In this helpful little pamphlet you learn how to round up corpses after an enemy nuclear attack on America. Fun!
It seemed kind of kitschy and ’50s until it started talking about how ten thousand bodies would need 5.5 acres of space to spread out and probably half would be unrecognizable due to disfigurement from injury and fire. That’s when SHIT GOT REAL.
Since it’s 1956, there’s no mention of cremation. Also, I’m now terrified of being called upon as a mortuary professional in a mass disaster. Thanks stupid scary pamphlet.
Thanks to Atomic History and Chris Wand.