Dissector enjoys his 'unwanted' job
By Emmy Fitri
JAKARTA (JP): Sixty-nine-year-old Sokirin looks every bit his age. But do not let his wrinkled face and toothless grin deceive you, he is not a feeble old man.
And the rare profession that has employed him for 37 years requires someone impervious to gory sights. Only a guillotine executioner might be considered qualified for such an "unwanted" job.
"I use a knife to cut open the chest and abdomen. A saw is used to cut the head," Sokirin said, giving no indication that he was referring to a human body.
Yes, his job description is dissecting corpses at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta for forensic analysis and compiling postmortem reports.
In an interview with The Jakarta Post, Sokirin said he enjoyed his job, although he was aware that many people would question his sanity.
"If you're used to something, there is no problem at all. I always have my meal right after the job's done," he said.
But the father of three and grandfather of five admits that the work is tiring and requires total concentration.
Yet, a person charged with the responsibility of dissecting bodies does not need any particular educational background.
"The only vital requirement is that he or she has to be sincere and willing to work hard," he said.
Sokirin's own education and work experience is completely unrelated to his current job.
"I dropped out of technical junior high school during the Japanese occupation of Pacitan town, Central Java, and I worked in various sectors to help my parents."
Sokirin moved to Jakarta in 1955 and began working as a dissector at the hospital five years later.
And he is not the only one with such a peculiar job title in Cipto's forensic department.
There are five other dissectors, who are all junior to him, in the "cold-blooded" autopsy section, he said.
Sokirin retired about five years ago but the forensic unit could not do without his skills. So this veteran employee can still be found working at the hospital.
"Why should I take a rest when others still need me? It's better to work for a small salary but do something which is truly needed."
Wage
With a monthly salary of Rp 292,000 (US$84.60), Sokirin said he has more than enough for life with his second wife, 34-year- old Niyem whom he married in 1996 after the death of his first wife.
Besides the monthly wage, Sokirin also receives a bonus for each body sent to the autopsy theater.
"The bonus for internal examinations is Rp 15,000 per body and external Rp 5,000 each."
Sokirin said he got a foot in the hospital's door thanks to the late Suwarso, a senior dissector, who was a distant relative.
For the first three months, his instructor merely asked him to watch the goings-on in the autopsy theater.
"After that he asked me to help him hold the body when he began cutting. My hands were shaking at first but later I was able to control myself."
Sokirin admitted that it was difficult to forget the sour smell and eerie presence of decomposing bodies during his early years there.
"You can imagine the smell of such things decomposing, sometimes it stayed for a week in my nose until I could really get rid of the memory," he said.
Another challenge for Sokirin in the beginning was following orders to sew up the dissected body parts and make the corpses look tidier and more human.
Almost six months later, he was entrusted with the task of dissection, including "unloading and reloading" the organs.
"The first body I dissected was a murder victim from Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta. The body was dumped in the sea and found days later," he recalled.
Sokirin said his hands were shaking when he gathered up enough courage to put on his gloves and start the procedure. And his mind was completely blank when he made the first incision in the swelled, discolored body.
But, he said, he got used to it somehow and now loves his job.
"I don't think there are any other jobs that I could enjoy more than this one.
"I'll work here till I drop."
His enthusiasm for his job is evident when he starts talking about the work atmosphere in the department.
"Most of the forensic doctors here are junior to me because when they were still medical students I was here helping them open up the dead bodies."
The staff are a close-knit group and, for Sokirin, they are like family. Doctors and other employees, regardless of their rank and status, treat Sokirin like a father.
Sokirin and his wife live in Pondok Kelapa, East Jakarta, while his three children, who are all married, live elsewhere.
Although he has become accustomed to death and dead bodies, Sokirin is still human.
He said he could not hide his deep sorrow when his first wife passed away last year.
His second marriage, he said, was medicine for the pain.
"I know that death is unavoidable but, as I'm still breathing, I need a companion to enjoy my time," Sokirin said, this time with a laugh.