[Crimson Ghost]

MadSci Network:
General Biology Query: Re: What is the monetary value of the human body?

Date: Wed Jan 26 06:08:17 2000
Posted By: Eric Maass, MadSci Admin
Area of science: General Biology
ID: 945925110.Gb Message:

In 1985, Arthur Porges science fiction story "1.98" was published in the "Best Fantasy Stories from Fantasy and Science Fiction
Magazine" (edited by Edward L. Ferman, Octopus Books Limited); this book included a comment that the monetary value of the
human body was $1.98. If we allow for inflation, that would put the current monetary value at about $4.00

However, the value of minerals and other chemicals does not necessarily increase, and not necessarily at the rate of inflation.
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives...8889.Gb.r.html

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How much is my body worth? You're worth more than you think!
A great number of people have spent a great deal of human and financial resources calculating the composition of, prior to the decomposition of, and the worth, or worthlessness of, the human body.
When we total the monetary value of the elements in our bodies and the value of the average person's skin, we arrive at a net worth of $4.50!
This value is, however, subject to change, due to stock market fluctuations. Since the studies leading to this conclusion were conducted by the U.S. and by Japan respectively, it might be wise to consult the New York Stock Exchange and the Nikkei Index before deciding when to sell!
The U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils invested many a hard-earned tax dollar in calculating the chemical and mineral composition of the human body, which breaks down as follows:

65% Oxygen
18% Carbon
10% Hydrogen
3% Nitrogen
1.5% Calcium
1% Phosphorous
0.35% Potassium
0.25% Sulfur
0.15% Sodium
0.15% Chlorine
0.05% Magnesium
0.0004% Iron
0.00004% Iodine

Additionally, it was discovered that our bodies contain trace quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic. Together, all of the above amounts to less than one dollar!
Our most valuable asset is our skin, which the Japanese invested their time and money in measuring. The method the Imperial State Institute for Nutrition at Tokyo developed for measuring the amount of a person's skin is to take a naked person, and to apply a strong, thin paper to every surface of his body. After the paper dries, they carefully remove it, cut it into small pieces, and painstakingly total the person's measurements. Cut and dried, the average person is the proud owner of fourteen to eighteen square feet of skin, with the variables in this figure being height, weight, and breast size. Basing the skin's value on the selling price of cowhide, which is approximately $.25 per square foot, the value of an average person's skin is about $3.50.
http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/worth.asp