Medical Examiners and the Rise of the English Undertaker Flashcards
- Funeral embalming for almost 1500 years was rarely practiced except for intramural internment of religious leaders, war heroes, and the nobility.
- During the Dark Ages, from 200 A.D. to 1200 A.D., there was considerable retreat in the study of medicine, surgery, and anatomy.
Embalming Enhanced the Growth of Medical Science
- The Roman Catholic Church
- Predestination
- Moslem Domination
The Reasons that, During the Dark Ages, there was Considerable Retreat in the Study of Medicine, Surgery, and Anatomy
Resisted any advancement in medical arts, dessection, surgery, or study of anatomy was a violation of the body “the temple of the Holy Spirit.” God would decide, through intercession with the saints, who would or would not survive sickness, plague, or war wounds.
The Roman Catholic Church
During the Protestant Reformation, 1400-1600 the concept of ______ was embraced, that is God had ________ the survival of individuals or the death of individuals thus medical study was a waste of time.
Predestination
During the ____ _____ of Eastern Europe and North Africa a similar philosophy existed. The Muslim Koran dictated that life, illness, and death were in the hands of Allah.
Moslem Domination
1400-1800- The European University system successfully triumphed over religious prejudice. To successfully study anatomy, one must devise a system of preservation of dead bodies. To make cadavers with minimal amount of mutilation three systems evolved.
Rebirth of Science (Renaissance- Age of Enlightenment)
- Evisceration and immersion
- Desiccation
- Arterial Injection
The Three Systems that Evolved: Rebirth of Science
Pickling (Vatting).
Evisceration and Immersion
Allowing remains to dehydrate on a plaster of paris cast. (Leonardo Da Vinci made many of these casts).
Desiccation
The most recent and most successful of the three, it was widely used after William Harvey discovered blood circulation.
Arterial Injection
- Oil of terpentine
- Camphor Spirits
- Oil of Lavender
- Oil of Rosemary
- Vermillion
- Vinegar
- Salt Peter
Or any combination of these.
Compounds and Chemicals used by Anatomists in the Early Middle Ages up to 1350
- Zinc
- Arsenic
- Aluminum Chloride
- Bichloride of Mercury
- Alcohol
- Alum
- Zinc Sulfate
Or any combination of these. These are the salts of heavy metals or metallic poisons.
Compounds and Chemicals used by Anatomists in the Later Medieval Period 1350-1800
- Leonardo Da Vinci
- Dr. Frederick Ruysch
- Thomas Holmes
- Marcello Malphighi
- Girolamo Segato
- Dr. William Harvey
- Dr. Gabriel Clauderus
- Dr. William Hunter
- Jean Nicholar Gannal
- Thomas Greenhill
Medical Anatomists from the Middle Ages to the Age of Enlightenment 1400-1850
Was believed to have developed a system of arterial injection. He dissected at least 50 bodies and made at least 750 anatomical plates for study. Many still exist today in museums in Italy.
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)
“Father of embalming.” (World), A Dutch professor of anatomy at the University of Amsterdam who discovered a successful system of arterial injection which he combined with evisceration. He would, after treating the viscera, return it to the body cavities. Like most thinkers of this period he kept his procedure and his chemistry a secret.
Dr. Frederick Ruysch 1638-1731
“Father of Embalming in the U.S.”
Dr. Thomas Holmes
“Father of Histology.” An Italian thinker who founded microscopic anatomy (histology) and was the first to note the physiology of the capillary bed in 1660. (He used a microscope).
Marcello Malphighi (1628-1694)
A 17th century Florentine physician who injected remains with silicate of potash and then immersed (vatted) the body in a weak acid solution. The end result was a stone-like statue. (He used executed prisoners).
Girolamo Segato
The greatest of the historical physiologist; discovered blood circulation by injecting colored solutions into the arteries, and made his theories known to his students in 1618 at the Royal College of Physicians in England.
Dr. William Harvey (1578-1657)
A german anatomist who in the late 17th Century, in Altenburg, Germany, revealed in a publication the art of “arterial embalming without evisceration.” In his book he described:
- Surgical method
- Balsamic Spirits
- Cavity Treatment
- Desiccation
Dr. Gabriel Clauderus
A ___ ____ to inject major arteries.
Surgical Method
His chemicals which he called ____ _____ which were made from one pound of cream of tatar dissolved in three quarts of water and then he added 1/2lb of Sal-Ammoniac (Salts of Ammonia).
Balsamic Spirits