Embalming << ehm BAHL mihng >> is a chemical process that preserves, sanitizes, and restores the appearance of a deceased human body. Chemicals used in embalming include formaldehyde, alcohol, and dyes that are surgically injected into a large blood vessel. Embalming keeps a body lifelike in appearance prior to a funeral. Embalming also meets the requirements of some religions and retards decay so that a body may be shipped or kept several days for a funeral.
Ancient embalming.
Embalming was first practiced in ancient Egypt as early as 6000 B.C. Egyptians believed that a preserved body was necessary for the survival of the soul. The embalmer dried the body by covering it with natron, a powdery mineral consisting of sodium carbonate and salt, and then filled the body cavities with oils, spices, and resins. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Israelites anointed dead bodies with spices, perfumes, and oils.
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Modern embalming
began around 1700. A Dutch anatomist, Frederick Ruysch, devised a formula that, when injected into the arteries, would preserve a lifelike appearance of the deceased. In the United States, modern embalming began during the Civil War (1861–1865). Officers killed in battle were embalmed, returned home to their loved ones, and then buried. Most soldiers were not embalmed. They were buried near their place of death on the battlefield. When President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, his body was embalmed. The body was taken across the country by train so that grieving people could see him and pay their respects. This event popularized embalming as a funeral practice in the United States.
Today, embalming is performed by a mortician, a person who prepares the dead for burial. To become a licensed mortician, a person must graduate from a school of mortuary science. A person then serves an apprenticeship and must pass state and national board examinations. Embalming is not nearly as common in Europe as it is in the United States. But an increased number of cremations has led to fewer embalmings throughout the world.
