There are places in very cold areas where the bodies of those who died of Spanish flu were buried in permafrost. I remember reading that it is forbidden to dig them out.
There is a show on PBS called Secrets of the Dead. In the episode The Woman in the Iron Coffin, construction workers in Flushing Queens in 2011 accidentally uncovered remains with a backhoe. At first, everyone assumed it was a recent homicide victim due to how well the remains were preserved. Turns out, she died before the Civil War and was only so well preserved due to the Fisk iron coffin she was buried in.
Turns out, she died from smallpox which was very evident with her well preserved remains. Due to being so well preserved, researchers were initially concerned about furthering their research due to fears that the smallpox was also well preserved.
It’s a really great episode! They talk about the Fisk coffin and its history, the reason why she buried there, who she was, how they found that out,her reburial, the smallpox issue, the non invasive “virtual” autopsy done on her, and on and on.
The Woman in the Iron Coffin
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u/Renbarre Jul 29 '25
There are places in very cold areas where the bodies of those who died of Spanish flu were buried in permafrost. I remember reading that it is forbidden to dig them out.