In this chapter you’re going to find out how your body changes as it decomposes. These changes are certainly not pleasant to look at and therefore I’m not going to include any images of decomposing human corpses. However, if you want to see what a corpse looks like as it decomposes, I’ve provided information on where you’ll find images relating to each of the stages of decomposition. General information on human corpse decomposition can be found on the websites of various research centres such as the ones listed in Box 4.1. Although photos of human corpses won’t be included, the decomposition process will be illustrated using photos of other mammals and, for those with a strong stomach, these can be viewed in Appendix III at the end of the book.