This section reveals some of the common and intriguing myths in the world of medicine and discusses some of the exciting recent medical discoveries and how they affect your world.


3. "HAIR AND FINGERNAILS CONTINUE TO GROW AFTER DEATH"

False...this is a morbid myth. The reality is that hair and fingernails appear longer after death not because they have kept growing, but because the skin around them has retracted. After we die, dehydration causes the skin and other soft tissues to shrink (this happens to some people's brains when they are still alive) while the hair and nails remain the same length thus making you think that Uncle Frank got hair extensions and a manicure for his funeral.