Beard, hair and nails after death

Meaning

Beard, hair and nails are the bodily examples used to extend the heat-and-moisture growth theory beyond death. The speaker alleges prolonged growth both in exposed and buried bodies, while denying that it proves innocence. The edition separates that historical claim from what changes in a corpse’s appearance establish. The three concrete nouns matter because the argument concerns these appendages, not a general claim that the entire dead body continues ordinary development.