A toe tag is a piece of cardboard attached with string to the big toe of a
deceased
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
individual in a
morgue
A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have c ...
. It is used for identification purposes, allowing the
mortician,
coroner, law enforcement, and others involved in the death process to correctly identify the
corpse
A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. S ...
.
It usually bears the decedent's name, a case number if law enforcement is involved, and some descriptors like hair and eye color. In many places, actual toe tags are no longer used due to hygiene concerns but have been replaced by wrist and/or ankle bands that serve the same purpose.
See also
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Body bag
A body bag, also known as a cadaver pouch or human remains pouch (HRP), is a non-porous bag designed to contain a human body, used for the storage and transportation of shrouded corpses.
History
In the United States, the apparent first docu ...
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Dog tag
Dog tag is an informal but common term for a specific type of identification tag worn by military personnel. The tags' primary use is for the identification of casualties; they have information about the individual written on them, including ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toe Tag
Death customs
Funeral-related industry
Toes