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Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and make it suitable for display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus preservation, sanitization and presentation (or restoration) of a dead body to achieve this effect. Embalming has a very long and cross-cultural history, with many cultures giving the embalming processes a greater religious meaning.
History of embalming Embalming has been practiced in many cultures and is one of the earliest surgical procedures humanity undertook. In classical antiquity, perhaps the Old World culture that had developed embalming to the greatest extent was that of ancient Egypt, who developed the process of mummification. They believed that preservation of the mummy empowered the soul after death, which would return to the preserved corpse. Other cultures that had developed embalming processes include the Incas and other cultures of Peru, whose climate also favoured a form of mummification. Embalming in Europe had a much more sporadic existence. It was attempted from time to time, especially during the Crusades, when crusading noblemen wished to have their bodies preserved for burial closer to home. Embalming began to come back into practice in parallel with the anatomists of the Renaissance who needed to be able to preserve their specimens. Contemporary embalming methods advanced markedly during the American Civil War, which once again involved many servicemen dying far from home, and their families wishing them returned for local burial. Dr. Thomas Holmes received a commission from the Army Medical Corps to embalm the corpses of dead Union officers to return to their families. Military authorities also permitted private embalmers to work in military-controlled areas. The passage of Abraham Lincoln's body home for burial was made possible by his embalming and it brought the possibilites and potential of embalming to a wider public notice. In 1867, the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann discovered formaldehyde, whose preservative properties were soon discovered and which became the foundation for modern methods of embalming. In the 19th and early 20th centuries arsenic was frequently used as an embalming fluid but has since been supplanted by other more effective and less toxic chemicals. There were questions about the possibility of arsenic from embalmed bodies later contaminating ground water supplies. There were also legal concerns as people suspected of murder by arsenic poisoning could claim that the levels of poison in the deceased's body were a result of embalming post mortem rather than evidence of homicide. It is important to differentiate embalming from taxidermy. Embalming actually preserves the intact human body while taxidermy is a recreation of an animal's form using only the creature's skin. Modern embalming Embalming as practiced in the funeral homes of the Western World uses several steps. Modern embalming techniques are not the result of a single practitioner, but rather the accumulation of many decades, even centuries, of research, trial and error and invention. A standardized version follows below but variation on techniques is very common. The first thing an embalmer should do is verify the identity of the deceased (normally via wrist or leg tags) and perform basic tests for signs of death, such as clouded-over corneas, lividity, and rigor mortis. While people awakening on the mortuary table is largely the province of horror fiction and urban myth, testing for death is still a final additional precaution. Any clothing on the corpse is removed and set aside; jewelry, also, is inventoried. A modesty cloth is sometimes placed over the genitals. Following this the corpse is washed in disinfecting and germicidal solutions, shaved, and groomed. The embalmer bends, flexes and massages the arms and legs to relieve rigor mortis. The eyes are closed and kept closed with an eyecap that keeps them shut and in the proper expression. The mouth may be closed via suturing with a needle and ligature, using an adhesive, wire or a needle injector, a specialized device most commonly utilised in North America and unique to mortuary practise. Care is taken to make the expression look as relaxed and natural as possible and ideally a recent photograph of the deceased while still living is used as a template. The process of closing the mouth, eyes, shaving, etc is collectively known as setting the features. The actual embalming process usually involves four parts: Most good embalmings are completed in two or three hours, although an easy case may take less and complicated cases can take days. After the body is rewashed and dried, cosmetics are applied to make it appear more lifelike and to create a "memory picture" for the deceased's friends and relatives. In the United States and Philippines baby powder or other deodorizers are used on the body for a pleasing fragrance. For babies who have died, the embalmer applies a light cosmetic massage cream after embalming to provide a natural appearance; massage cream is also used on the lips to prevent them from dehydrating, for the infant's mouth is often left open a little bit for a more natural expression. If possible, the funeral director uses a light, translucent cosmetic; sometimes, heavier, opaque cosmetics are used to hide bruises, cuts, or discoloured areas. Makeup is applied to the lips to mimick their natural color. Sometimes, a very pale or light pink lipstick is applied on males, while brighter coloured lipstick is applied to females. Hair gels or hair spray is applied to style the hair, especially for deceased who are male. Mortuary cosmetizing is not done for the same reason as make-up for living people; rather, it is designed to add depth and dimension to a person's features that the lack of blood circulation removes. Warm areas, where blood vessels in living people are superficial, such as the cheeks, chin and knuckles have subtle reds added to recreate this effect, while browns are added to the palpabrae (eyelids) to add depth, especially important as viewing in a casket creates an unusual perspective rarely seen in everyday life. During the viewing, pink-coloured lighting is sometimes used near the body to lend a warmer tone to the deceased's complexion. A photograph of the dead person in good health is often sought in order to guide the embalmer's hand in restoring the corpse to a more lifelike appearance. Blemishes and discolorations (such as bruises, in which the discolouration is not in the circulatory system and cannot be removed by arterial injection) occasioned by the last illness, the settling of blood, or the embalming process itself are also dealt with at this time (although some embalmers utilize hypodermic bleaching agents, such as phenol based cauterants, during injection to lighten discoloration and allow for easier cosmetizing). Various funeral homes have different practices as to whether the corpse will be clothed during the time of application of the cosmetics, or whether the cosmetics will be applied first and the corpse clothed afterwards. The foregoing describes the usual process for "cosmetic" embalming, wherein long-term preservation is not the goal; rather the natural appearance of the body is paramount. As for clothing the body, tradition has been for the deceased to wear semi-formal clothing (a suit jacket and tie for men; a dress for women). In more recent years, the family often chooses to dress the decedant in more casual wear (such as a T-shirt and blue jeans), especially if the deceased was young. If a person is a member of the clergy of some religions, the person is often buried in religious vestments; as well, a member of the military, a police officer or firefighter is often dressed in his/her uniform. In many areas of Europe, the custom of dressing the body in a specially designed shroud rather than in clothing used by the living is preferred. After the deceased has been dressed, it is placed in the casket (the term casket is derived from older usage to refer to a "jewel box", it is called a coffin when the container is anthropoid in form) for the various funeral rites. It is common for photographs, notes, cards and favourite personal items to be placed in the casket with the deceased. Even bulky and expensive items, such as electric guitars, are occasionally interred with a body. In some ways this mirrors the ancient practise of placing grave goods with a person for the afterlife. In traditional Chinese culture paper substitutes of the goods are cremated with the deceased instead and Hell Bank Notes specifically purchased for the occasion. Embalming chemicals Embalming chemicals are a variety of preservatives, sanitising and disinfectant agents and additives used in modern embalming to temporarily prevent decomposition and restore a natural appearance for viewing a body after death. A mixture of these chemicals is known as embalming fluid and is used to preserve deceased individuals, sometimes only until the funeral, other times indefinitely. Typical embalming fluid contains a mixture of formaldehyde, methanol, ethanol and other solvents. The formaldehyde content generally ranges from 5 to 29 percent and the ethanol content may range from 9 to 56 percent. Specialist embalming Decomposing bodies, trauma cases, frozen and drowned bodies, and those to be transported for long distances also require special treatment beyond that for the "normal" case. The recreation of bodies and features damaged by accident or disease is commonly called restorative art or demisurgery and is a sub-speciality inside embalming, although all qualified embalmers have some degree of training and practise in it. It is on these cases that the benefit of embalming is startlingly apparent. However many people have unreal expectation of what a dead body should look like due to seeing many "dead" bodies on television shows and unreasonably expect a body two weeks decomposed or having crashed in an airplane from 30,000 feet to look as they did in life. Ironically, the work of a skilled embalmer often results in the deceased appearing natural enough that the embalmer appears to have done nothing at all. Embalming autopsy cases differs from standard embalming because the nature of the post mortem irrevocably disrupts the circulatory system with the removal of organs for examination. In these cases, a six-point injection is made through the two illiac or femoral arteries, subclavian or axillary vessels, and common carotids, with the viscera treated separately with cavity fluid or a special embalming powder in a viscera bag. In many mortuaries in the United States (such as the Los Angeles County Coroners Office) and New Zealand, these necessary vessels are carefully preserved during the autopsy; in countries in which embalming has been less common, such as Australia and Japan, they are routinely excised. This inhibits the type of embalming that families prefer and is a common source of conflict between government pathologists and embalmers. Long-term preservation requires different techniques, such as using stronger preservative chemicals and multiple injection sites to ensure thorough saturation of body tissues. It should be remembered that embalming is only meant to temporarily preserve the body of a deceased person. Regardless of whether embalming is performed, the type of burial or entombment, and the materials used — such as wood or metal caskets and vaults — the body of the deceased will eventually decompose. Modern embalming is done to delay decomposition so that funeral services may take place or for the purpose of shipping the remains to a distant place of disposition. Embalming for Anatomical Purposes A rather different process is used when a cadaver is embalmed for dissection by medical students. Here, the first priority is for long term preservation, not presentation. For this reason, medical embalmers use embalming fluids that are nearly pure formaldehyde (37-40%, known as formalin), without dyes or perfumes and many embalming chemical companies make specialized anatomical embalming fluids. Instead of using an embalming machine anatomical embalmers may use gravity-feed embalming, where the container dispensing the embalming fluid is elevated above the level of the body and fluid slowly introduced over an extended time, sometimes as long several days. Unlike funeral home embalming no drainage occurs and the body distends with fluid that eventually reduces leaving a normal appearance. Equally there is no separate cavity treatment of the internal organs. Anatomical embalmings have a typically uniform grey colouration due to the high formaldehyde concentration. Embalming and different religions There is much difference of opinion amongst different faiths as to the permissibility of embalming. A brief overview of some of the larger faiths positions are examined below Embalming in popular culture It stands to note that most of the contemporary television shows portray the fantastic, extraordinary and often disfunctional aspects of funeral directing and embalming. Funeral directing is a job that has its exciting moments punctuated by mundane tasks. TV shows wouldn't be popular if they showed the embalmer or funeral director doing the mountain of paperwork that they do, or making the dozens of phone calls that they must make in order to arrange a service, or even washing cars and sweeping floors. | ||||||||
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