Consider this listing under "M" — Microwave Popcorn ... "Popcorn factory workers and those at home who inhale microwave butter popcorn fumes on a regular basis got a rare lung disease from the combustion of one of the ingredients in the artificial butter flavoring. 24 died in 2003." (Guess I'll stick with the plain variety.)
If your interest is more macabre, you'll want to review the Serial Killers entry. Final Exits devotes three pages to the likes of Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and several other "Infamous Ass****s" (as lawmakers like to refer to them.) And yes, because I know you want to know, there is the requisite listing for Foreign Objects. Suffice it to say, you'll get a full rundown of the stuff people stuff into various body parts with the obvious lethal results. (Feel free to do your own jokes and commentary here.)
Author Michael Largo is the son of a NYPD homicide detective who used to take his young son for unusual tours of Manhattan, always taking time to point out the criminal mischief at this corner, the mayhem at that address, and the murders all around. With more than 400 medical/historical photographs and artwork ... hundreds of delightfully deadly little factoids of the "final crossing" ... humorous and poignant epitaphs ... and a 46-page bibliography and source notes section, Final Exits will keep you engaged and entertained as you skim through deaths both commonplace and bizarre of folks both famous and ordinary.
The phrase, "kick the bucket" refers to the platform from which a person hangs him or herself. Stand on a bucket, give it a quick kick, and well, you know the rest.)
Be amazed, be appalled, but by all means, have fun reading Final Exits - in or out of the family powder room. Look for it this October (just in time for Halloween) and have a howling good time!
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - Nik
This looks like a great read. Nice review!