Cannibalism isn’t what it used to be.
When speaking of consuming humans, many people imagine Hollywood-film-hordes, hungry head hunters stoking the fire under a simmering cauldron filled with surprised tourists. Or they recall the classic 1973 science fiction film “Soylent Green” and it’s iconic line: “It’s people! Soylent Green is made out of people!”
In “Soylent Green,” due to global collapse, a desperate and starving humanity is unknowingly being fed human remains as a food source. Fast forward to 2015 and due to biological and scientific advances, we are taking tentative steps towards making goods from human beings.
Beyond the more familiar organ and tissue transplants, there are many surprising ways humans and human tissue are incorporated into products, foods, and services.
Blood and Beauty
Historical legend recounts the dark story of the Blood Countess, Elizabeth of Bathory (1560–1614 A.D.), from the Kingdom of Hungary. She is said to have been a prolific serial killer who allegedly bathed in the blood of her young victims in order to retain her youth. The young blood was believed to have rejuvenating qualities.
In modern times some allege “blood facials” are a quick fix to aging skin. According to a reporter for The Telegraph, the so-called “vampire facial”—in which a client’s own blood is extracted and applied to the client’s face as a serum—is done to look youthful.
During the procedure in central London, the clinic doctor said while performing the blood facial, “When you get older, the top layer of your skin thins and becomes pale and less glowing. Injecting it with platelet-rich plasma [the fluid part of blood] restructures your dermis and creates the collagen and elastics that make your skin look younger. … I like to call plasma ’the golden liquid,‘ and that’s what we’ll be putting into your face.”
Meat
