Screw Found In Llanelli Woman's Cremated Ashes

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-40418250

I find this a strange story. Evidence was presented at Court that this titanium screw wasn't left inside the lady, after surgery in 2006.

So if it wasn't from that surgery, where could it have come from ?

By the way, does anyone know the melting point of titanium ?

[Hopkirk]

I remember hearing that when you get the ashes, they are a token collection from the ashes in the furnace and not exclusively from your relative's body.

[Peter Pedant]

erm should anyone be wondering
surgeons do NOT now send for a screw driver from the engineering department as sterility cannot be guaranteed !

sister suzies ( the small sterilizing unit round the bac of a theatre) have all gone and it is done centrally - wiv quality control. (which is why I thought all my stuff had been marked)

Sqad is referring to the good old days of Sir Lancelot Spratt, ether smell, matrons, junior doctor pranks ( nowadays you can t find any) and lancing anything and everything wiv whatever comes to hand

Mind you talking about patient experience ......
A fren' of mine had such a long canine tooth that he was sent to the local dog hospital to drill it ( canine geddit ) .
and He insists it was the local horse hospital - the burrs are much longer for horse teeth, so when he was in the waiting room wiv the other horses waiting for treatment and they called Mr Smith - did he say 'Nay !' yeah anyway like this one it makes a good story

hsa anyone said yet of this - this story is a bit screwy ?

[naomi24]

Hopkirk, that's right to a degree. I've just read up a bit on this and apparently mechanical sweepers are generally used now to clean the chamber after each cremation, but they don't clear all the residue completely, so there will often be a small residue from previous cremations mixed with those of the most recent occupant.

[Peter Pedant]

I thought the ashes were put in a crusher and the embarassing bits picked out so the product was more like ashes as people wanted them.

I dont expect my relatives to be handed twisted flex and told
well he said his colon was joined together with fuse wire and he was right !

[EDDIE51]

^ The cremated remains are put in a crusher to reduce them to the powder people expect. It is actually a ball mill, like a large tumble dryer with heavy steel balls in it. As the mill rotates the balls crush the cremated bones to a powder.

[mikey4444]

There is still something wrong here, in that there is no clear explanation about how the screw got into the ashes.

[1ozzy]

Could it be "someone screwed up"?

I probably wont sleep until the answer is clear.

[whiskeryron]

I cannot in all honesty understand what this news is all about. A titanium screw is found in a lady's cremated ashes. SO ?

[DTCwordfan]

Are they sure it is a screw and not a nail....plenty of them, 20 to be precise?

I'll get me coat.

[whiskeryron]

I think you nailed it there DTC

[EDDIE51]

I still think the screw came out of the furnace itself. It looks like a standard screw that would be used for holding the furnace frame together.
Titanium is used as it has greater strength at high temperature than a steel screw.

[mikey4444]

I think you are probably right Eddie. I can't, in all honesty, subscribe to this theory that a mistake by Hospital staff is being covered up.

[donny48]

Given the cost of titanium would any metal framework not simply be welded and not screwed together and if for some reason welds were no good,I can't imagine why, then why screws and not bolts.

[murraymints]

morning Donny XX..OO..XX..

[donny48]

Good morning Minty, XXOOXX.