The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-10-16
Ti Art Of Emb.lnl,r.

- Art of Emb.lnl,s.
Two mdn sat silent in Handsomely
furnished store on q leading New York
thoroughfare. A small portion of the
furniture and ornaments pertained to
the living. the remainder to the dead.
1t was antundertaker's establishment,
and the younger but more solemn per-
son was aprofessional embalmer. In
answer I'd tho reporters questions, no
SAID:
'eGen. Grants embalming was work
of the finest kind-something to DO
proud of. 1t was done by the leader
OF our procession, and with the best
material In the market. There are
many m0ftuary directors who profess
to be embalmers, and who know
smattering of the art; but they are un-
worthy ofthe name. Real cmbalmcrs
are few in number, there not being
more than ten in the entire country.
To be one, an undertaken must have
q sufficient knowledge of surgery, med
icine and chemistry, and must also
have considerable artistic sense. This
makes o rare combination.
1.-The chief element in embalming
consists in removing o large portion Of
the blood from the body and substitut-
ing therefore some powerful antiseptic
fluid. Many experiments have been
made in respect to these fluids. lean
hardly recall how many Preparations
have been tired. Brine, salicylic acid,
diluted creoso Q, solut' ons of sulphate
of zinc, and the iodide and chloride of
ME al. You see, the fluid used must
be nearly colorless, or else vcrging on
blood color, and must not cause dis
coloratiOn. This precludes the use of
salts of copper. iron. manganese, and
chromium, and also compounds of sui
phur.
IA solution of chloride of zinc was
ut one time in vogue, but in several
instances it produced ghastly BLUSH
tingc. and so went entirely out Of fash
ion. The so-called Egyptian fluid was
standard preparation for years. 1t
was so named by its manufacturer,
who claimed thatit was the same liquid
as was used in preparing the mummics
of Egypt. 1t was improved upon, how
ever, by some American chemists, who
now have prac' 'ical monopoly in sup
plying embalmers with the fluid. Their
manufacture is styled the Oriental flu
id, and is made in Boston.
I'm embalming, a large vein and
large artery and Il small force pump,
connected with vessel cont tanning the
antiseptlc fluid. is applied. The pro-
cess requires from two to four hours.
The natural movement of the circula-
tion is followed. AS the fluid enters
the vessels the blood is fo .ced out. The
longer the time the better the result.
A short tine enables the operator 10
remove the blood only from the larger
vessels. ln Il longer period the fluid
passes from the larger to the smaller
vessels and into tho capillaries. This
distcnds the skin and produces a life
like appearance.
The cost Of the process is from $15
upward. Embalming grows more
common every yea. In the past
thirty months our establishment has
cmbalmed about 200 subjects. We are
still behind the ancients in our work.
In the man. subject we'll treated
lasts three yeas. This is q far aver
age 1t would he longer if il were not
for occasional eases in which the an
tisept:c liquids seem TO lose Their eli
cacy. There is. however, Il distinguished
chemisrin- Italy who claims to pc.rify
subject by us ng some silica.e pre-
paration. Though have not seen the
process employ Ell. yet l have been
shown specimens which rcscmblcd pet
rifactiOns.
"a second duty of the embalmer is
the same as that OF an undertaken. to
make the sub .ect as life like and nat
ural as possible. There is divis on
in the profession at this point. Some
endeavor by art to restore almost all
the characteristics of life;others merely
endeavor to remove the disagrccable
insignia of DEATH As for myself. l
think It proper to conceal the marks
of wounds, accidents or disease. No
art can take away t.e horror of death.
Its excess makes death the more terri
BILE by contrast.
''Fle embalmer runs the risk of dis
ease and blood poisoning. A subject
once preserve and treated is innoc.
uous; but in the process the germs of
the disease from which he d ed are en-
PEELED in vast numbers in the bloods
The operator in such cases always run
the risk of contagion and infection.
Blood poisoning is as apt to occur to
the embalmer as 10 the surgeon. The
danger in all these cases however, can
be guarded against. Those who are
attacked are nlne tines out of ten ig.
norant funeral directors, who call
themselves cmbalmers when they are
not"