Development of Embalming- Test 2 Flashcards
Custom and tradition seems to be the origin for attempts to preserve dead bodies temporarily so that some kind of proper treatment could be made.
Role of Preservation of the Dead in the 19th Century
- Growth of methods from the European continent through the colonial period.
- Limitations imposed on wakes
- British Tradesman undertaker took control in Europe from the barber surgeon.
Customary Aspects of Preserving the Dead
- European Customary Aspects of preserving the dead
- Colonial America customary aspects of preserving the dead.
Growth of Methods from the European Continent Through the Colonial Period
- To preserve and distribute portions of the bodies
- To preserve the bodies of the noble class, wealthy merchant class, religious leaders, and military leaders
- Combined with the impulse to give the dead a decent Christian burial
European Customary Aspects of Preserving Dead
These were of religious notables to churches and shrines as relics.
To Preserve and Distribute Portions of the Bodies
For long extended wake periods. These were often as long as eight days.
To preserve the bodies of the noble class, wealthy merchant class, religious leaders, and military leaders
The poorer classes were often victimized by having their dead preserved and left unburied until they could pay for their funeral expenses to their burial societies.
- Origin of the insurance industry was based in the European burial societies.
Combined with the Impulse to give the Dead a Decent Christian Burial
Extended into the 19th century:
- Bodies were crudely preserved long enough for relatives and friends to travel distances for the funeral.
- The desire to be buried in the family cemetery plot especially during the American Civil War. Shipping union and confederate dead back to home states necessitated that some attempt at preservation be made (only for officers).
Colonial America Customary Aspects of Preserving Dead
Because of putrefaction caused Americans to seek out some kind of technology to temporarily preserve the dead (Especially on farms and in rural areas)- Used ice at the start.
Limitations Imposed on Wakes
In Europe, body preservation techniques tended to deteriorate by the turn of the 18th century to the “sawdust and tar” level because this person took control from the Barber Surgeon while these standards were lowered. This had little impact on America.
British Tradesman Undertaker
Because of the industrial revolution, particularly in the north east, caused the people to seek out technology to temporarily preserve the dead as a status symbol, emphasizing taste and style (This was due to the rising American middle class and the growth of the cities (industrial revolution)).
Impact of Growing Cities
- Sealing bodies in airtight coffins
- Wrapping bodies in shrouds soaked in alum
- Immersing bodies in barrels of alcohol (John Paul Jones).
- Disemboweling and filling the cavities with charcoal.
Various and Crude Methods used During the Colonial America Period to Deter Putrefaction, prior to 1800
Even though arterial injection was popular and France and England about the time of the American Civil War, most attempts to deter putrefaction were based on the rudiments of refridgeration.
Cabinet Makers, Church Sextons, and Livery Men had no Scientific Training as did their European Counterpart in Chemistry and Anatomy
Dominated funeral service from 1830-1880 (Cooling boards were still used inot the 20th century).
The Refridgeration Concept
Ice in metal lined boxes placed over the body torso. By refridgerating the viscera, putrefaction was deterred.
Methods and Materials Used
Of Philadelphia, PA, developed the first “corpse preserver” in 1843, but because of poor design (too cumbersome) his patent was allowed to lapse in 1850.
John Good
Two baltimore undertakers who are credited with the first successful“corpse cooler.” Patented in May 1846 the successfully marketed to a substantial number of udertakers. It consisted of a common cooling board (originally made out of wicker) on which the body was dressed and placed, then a concave metal ice filled box, which fit the torso, was palced on top. The device was equipped with a lid, drainage spigots, and lifting handles.
Robert Frederick and C.A. Trump
Of Quincy, Mass. In 1868 invented a metal box like refridgerator with two compartments, one for the body and the other for ice. It was cumbersome for funeral service and was used for hospital and city morgues.
Charles Kimball
Of Altoona, PA and Poughkeepsie, NY, each filled separate patents for a more portable corpse cooling device. They utilized various sets of ice cases made of zinc and wood that fitted various parts of the body, head, torso and limbs. These had some success competing against Frederick and Trumps device.
Howard V. Griffith and R.C. Andrus
- Wooden framed, lined with tin or metal, to hold ice with drainage spigots and with drop down legs.
- Wood framed wicker panels, some with drop down legs, some not, having adjustable brass headpieces to hold the head.
Various Designs of Cooling Boards
The deceased was dressed and placed on the cooling board, the board was then draped. Caskets, or coffins, were used only at the time of the service and not used in the wake.
At This Time, There Were no Funeral Homes
Became the first embalming tables particularly when embalming was done in homes prior to World War I.
Cooling Boards
Prior to the Civil War, and even up until 1880, they were still a problem. There is some evidence that they were still used up until World War I (1918) in some areas of the US. The disadvantage was that these crude cooling devices were cumbersome and barely adequate in deterring putrefaction.
The Advantage of Cooling Devices was in Their Simplicity and Utility
Increased emphasis on preservation during the mid 19th century.
The Role of Airtight Receptacles in the Development of Embalming
It became obvious that these devices actually encouraged putrefaction. This could be observed by the bereaved looking at the deceased’s face through the port hole in a Fisk style mummy case.
Airtight Receptacles
- Some were filled with poison gas
- Some were filled with brine, alcohol, etc.
- Some were filled with deodorizing substances introduced bt a tube or funnel into the burial case.
Attempts Made to Modify Airtight Burial Cases to Deter Putrefaction:
Although decay was deterred, putrefaction was encouraged plus the fact that these cumbersome, troublesome concepts seldom worked.
Destined Airtight Receptacles to be Flops
- The rise of medical schools and research
- The desire of undertakers to wake the deceased in a casket
- As in Europe, a Sanitation movement
- The impact of the Civil War
4 Influences that led to the Development of Arterial Embalming in the Middle of the 19th Century
Demanded more and more cadavers for medical study. As in England and France, arterial embalming enters America by way of the anatomist employed by medical schools, only later to enter funeralization.
The Rise of Medical Schools and Research
Rather than on a cooling board, and the gross inadequacy and bulkiness of corpse coolers, caused them to seek new technology to extend the wake period.
The Desire of Unertakers to Wake the Deceased in a Casket
Especially as the United States shifted from a rural to an urban environment. The industrial revolution complicated the sanitation problem, in fact it made it worse. The element of disinfection became crucial with the spread of disease such as smallpox, T.B., diptheria, scarlet fever, cholera, influenza (1918-19), etc.. (NE US cities had many crowded tenements that especially fostered outbreaks of smallpox and TB).
As in Europe, there was a Sanitation Movement
May have been the most significant influence on the development of embalming. (Shelby Foote- Historian)
The Impact of the Civil War
- Tremendous numbers of dead bodies in such a small geographical area presented a sanitation problem.
- The desire of union and confederate families to have their dead soliders (usually officers) returned home to family burial plots.
- Promotion by opportunistic medical embalmer-surgeons following both armies promoting their unique skills after major battles (Thomas Holmes).
- Transportation by rail and steamboat of large numbers of war dead required some effort to be made in terms of disinfection, preservation, and sanitation. This was demanded by railway baggage handlers.
The Impact of the Civil War
