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Feb 2, 1000
The First Embalmers
Embalming dates back to before 4000 B.C., when the ancient Egyptians wrapped the deceased in cloth and buried them in a mixture of charcoal and sand out of the reach of the Nile River. For the Egyptians, preparing the body for burial aligned with their religious faith and preparation for the afterlife. -
Period: Feb 24, 1000 to
The Egyptian Embalming Method
Step 1. Removal of the brain. The skull was then repacked with resin. Step 2. Evisceration. The internal organs were removed through an abdominal incision. The
organs were either washed and mixed with resins and spices and returned to the body or were placed in separate burial vases called canopic jars. Step 3. Immersion. The body was immersed in natron (sodium salt). The caustic action of the solution would cause the fingernails and toe nails to be removed. They were replaced in keeping with -
euaropean scientist
European scientists embalmed the bodies they used for anatomical studies. In the United States, embalming gained favor during the Civil War as a way to preserve the remains of the dead soldiers for the long trip home. Some religions are opposed to embalming because they believe the body should not be altered. -
Dr. Richard Burr works on an unknown soldier.
The embalming surgeon played a less important role in the decade following the end of the Civil War. With their absence, the Undertakers soon took over the field. They quickly developed new practices and ideas to improve on the already much improved practice soon to be known as Mortuary Science. Embalming and Undertaking became a respected profession and its new practitioners were widely seen as men who had done their part for the war effort. -
Turn of the Century Embalmer's Kit
Embalming surgeons and undertakers were not always the same person. At the start of the Civil War, chemical embalming by injection was performed by men with medical training, since they were familiar with the process, these were the Embalming surgeons. Undertakers had to perform the various tasks of removing, transporting and preparing the dead for funerals. The medical embalmers associated themselves with the undertakers and offered their special techniques for a fe -
Abrham lincon
In fact, after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, his body was embalmed. It was then placed in a casket for a two-week, seventeen-hundred-mile train ride (drawn by thirteen locomotives) to Springfield, Illinois. -
The first american Cremation
While cremation goes back to ancient times, the cremation of Baron Joseph Henry Louis Charles De Palm in 1876 was billed as being the first in modern America, according to Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America, by Stephen Prothero. Whether or not it really was the first, it was significant in bringing the cremation movement into the spotlight. -
Licensed
Embalmers are licensed technicians and, in most cases, are also Funeral Directors. To embalm the body, they inject preservative chemicals into the circulatory system. Using a special machine, the blood is removed and replaced with the embalming fluid. -
Is Embalming Necessary?
Federal law prohibits funeral providers from misrepresenting the legal necessity of embalming. In fact, funeral providers are required to inform consumers that embalming is not required by law, except in certain special cases. -
Caskets
Caskets were usually homemade. Hardware for caskets could be purchased at any general mercantile. Some hardware store owners with a cooling table would come to your house and embalm the body for you. While they were at your home, they would offer additional services, if desired. They would sell you a casket which could run as high as $100.00 for the fancy units. Also, they would offer transportation to the cemetery or church, and even take care of digging the grave for an additional fee. -
lttile girl story
A small girl in the 1920's wrote about her experience after her grandfather's death. "They brought Grandpa home from the hospital, and they embalmed him right there. I don't remember much about it, but I do know they spent a lot of time running back and forth to the bathroom with something, and flushing the toilet a lot." -
Embalming Process
Approximately 3 gallons of a mixture of fluid and water are circulated through the remains for thorough disinfection and preservation to take place. -
Why do we embalm present day?
Embalming is primarily done to disinfect and preserve the remains. Disinfection is important for all who have to handle the remains, and for the public safety of our communities. -
How is embalming done?
When the body arrives at a funeral home, there are a series of steps before the embalming is complete. -
Embalming Process
Incisions are made in both vessels, and a tube connected to the embalming fluid pump is placed into the carotid artery
