Difference between black humour and this. This is just being abusive, but expect black humour in these sort of places. Surgeons use and make these jokes all the time when I was working in theatres. edit: I think the use of this is a coping mechanism. It can be real grating working with dead bodies/witnessing surgery day in day out. It's not nice seeing dead bodies, would you rather these people break down heartbroken all the time? Or just continue to do their job? I'm not defending what they said but you have to distance yourself from this somehow.