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← Glossary of Funeral Terms

Mortuary

A mortuary is a facility or room where a person who has died is kept in appropriate conditions before they are released for funeral arrangements, burial or cremation. Depending on the facility, a mortuary may also provide areas for identification, viewing, preparation, embalming or post-mortem examination.

Storage and care. At its simplest, a mortuary provides secure, refrigerated storage for people who have died. This allows the person to remain in appropriate conditions while arrangements are being made or while other processes, such as a coronial investigation, are taking place.

More than storage. A mortuary may also have facilities for caring for and preparing the person. Depending on the type of mortuary, this may include washing and dressing, preparation for viewing, embalming, reconstruction or other work required before the person is released for their funeral.

Hospital mortuaries. Hospitals commonly have mortuaries where people who die in hospital are kept before being collected by a funeral service provider or, where required, transferred into the coronial system.

Coronial and forensic mortuaries. A forensic or coronial mortuary is a more specialised facility. It may include facilities for post-mortem examination, identification, imaging, specimen collection, reconstruction and preparation of the person for release.

Funeral home mortuaries. Funeral service providers may also have their own mortuary. This provides a private place where people can be cared for after collection and before the funeral, burial or cremation. Depending on the facilities available, preparation, dressing, viewing and other aspects of care may take place there.

Mortuary and morgue. The words mortuary and morgue are often used interchangeably. Mortuary is generally the preferred formal term in Australian funeral and health settings. Morgue is more commonly associated with North American English, although the word is understood and sometimes used in Australia.

There is therefore no reliable rule that a morgue is only for storage while a mortuary is where things are done. A mortuary may be purely a storage facility, or it may be a highly specialised facility where examination and preparation also take place.

Ultimately, a mortuary is a place where a person who has died is cared for and kept in appropriate conditions until the next stage of their arrangements.