Modern Day Embalming History

In modern day America, we unknowingly take countless things for granted on a daily basis. For example, we blatantly assume that privileges such as clean hospital rooms, trash services, and preservation have always been provided. In reality, at the time of the civil war, medical and hygienic methods were primitive compared to today’s technology in medicine. A significant difference was the process after death. Modern day embalming was created, as an innovative way to preserve the bodies of fallen soldiers, but has developed into a customary practice that accompanies contemporary mortality. Modern day embalming may have started in the United States, but a different form was used in ancient times across the world. The most famous example of preserving

Without advanced medicine, Americans were familiar with death, as the common cold could easily turn fatal. After the death of a loved one, the family members would give the body a bath and store it in the coldest room of the house to prevent immediate decomposing. The body would only stay in the house until people had time to visit and say their goodbyes. The smell was unpleasant, so flowers would be brought in. This initiated the tradition of having flowers at a funeral. After that, the body would be buried next to other deceased family members in a simple, wooden coffin. For those that could afford it, an undertaker was hired to take away the body and hold a formal funeral. The undertaker would store bodies on blocks of

Dr. Frederik Ruysch developed an early version of arterial embalming to prove his theory about valves. Wilhelm von Hofmann and Alexander Butlerov are also significant because they discovered formaldehyde, which became a particularly frequent chemical for embalming.

There are three main, practical reasons defending the significance of embalming. The first is to restore the body to a familiar state, which has been proven to help families mentally and psychologically cope with the loss. Another reason is to rid the body of hazardous elements that live and grow in decaying tissue. It is still unknown whether embalming is effective at complete sanitation and protecting the public. The last main reason behind embalming is to preserve the body so a proper service and burial can be held.

Embalmers in Civil War times used many toxic chemicals, which sometimes included arsenic and mercury. Another main chemical of the embalming fluid is formaldehyde. This chemical is a known carcinogen. Caskets in the 18th century were poor-quality compared to todays, so when they decomposed, the toxic chemicals used for embalming were then released into the soil. Comparatively, modern caskets are of higher ranking, and embalmers are more cautious with the chemicals used because of their effect of the