Where does all the blood go when someone dies?
Have you ever wondered where our blood goes after we die? A body that was once alive, filled with warm blood, suddenly becomes cold and stiff. How does this happen? Does the blood evaporate? Or is it absorbed by the earth? The answer isn't as scary as a horror movie, but it's enough to make your hair stand on end if you think about it a little more.
When a person dies, their heart stops beating. This means the main pump that moves blood throughout the body also stops. Blood, which was previously flowing continuously, eventually stops. Because gravity still applies, blood collects in the lowest parts of the body—a process called livor mortis , or post-mortem lividity . This is why parts of the body that are touching the floor or other surfaces often turn purple, as blood accumulates there.
Over time, the body begins to decompose. Cells break down, and blood vessels become brittle. Blood eventually leaks into the surrounding tissues. This is one reason why corpses can smell so strong—the decomposing blood produces gases that contribute to decomposition.
If a body is preserved through embalming, the blood is drained and replaced with a preservative. That's why when you see films about funerals using glass coffins, the bodies appear more "serene" and don't turn blue. But if the body isn't embalmed, the blood will completely "disappear" as it decomposes along with the organs and other tissues.
Interestingly, this process is a natural part of the cycle of life. Our dead bodies, including our blood, return to nature—serving as a source of nutrients for microorganisms that help decompose the body. So, our blood doesn't actually "disappear," but rather "returns" to the earth in another form. Quite poetic, isn't it?
So, instead of worrying about where our blood goes after we die, perhaps we'd be better off focusing on how we live now. While the blood is still flowing, let's use it to create something.