Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-30
THE ART OF EMBALMING.
The Modern Process Inferior to That
Used i'm Ancient Egypt.

Two men sat silent in a Handsomely
furnished store on leading New York
thoroughfare. A small portion of the
furniture and ornaments pertained to the
living, the remainder to the dead. 1t
was an undertaker's establishment, and
the younger and more solemn person was
professional embalmer. In answer to
the reporters questions, he said:
"Gen. Grants embalming was work of
the finest understanding to be proud of
1t was done by the leader of our profes-
sion, and with the best material in the
market. There are many mortuary di-
rectors who know a smattering of the art,
but they are unworthy of the name. Real
embalmers are few in number, there not
being more than ten in the entire country.
10 be one, an undertaken must have a
sufficient knowledge of surgery, medicine
and chemistry, and must also have con-
siderable artistic sense. This makes a
rare combination.
The chief element in embalming con-
sists in removing large portion of blood
from the body and substituting therefor
some powerful antiseptic fluid. Many ex-
periments have been made in respect to
these liquids. / can hardly recall how
many preparations have been tried.
Brine, salicylic acid, diluted creosote, So
lutions of sulphate of zinc, and the iodide
and chloride of that metal. You see, the
| fluid used must be nearly colorless, or
else verging on blood color, and must not
cause discoloration. This precludes the
use of salts of copper, iron, manganese,
and chromium, and also compounds of
sulphur.
A solution of chloride of zinc was at one
time in vogue, but in several instances it
produced a CHASTITY blush tinge, and so
went entirely out of fashion. The So
called Egyptian fluid was standard pre-
paration for years. 1t WIS so named by
its manufacturer, who claimed that it
was the same liquid as was used in pre-
pairing the mummies of Egypt 1t was
improved upon, however, by some Amer
lean chemists, who now have practical
monopoly in supplying embalmers with
the fluid. Their manufacture is styled
the Oriental fluid and it is made in Bos-
ton.
In embalming, large vein and large
artery are opened and small force pump
connected with a vessel containing the
antiseptic fluid, is applied. The process
requires from two to four hours. The
natural movement of the circulation is
followed. AS the fluid enters the vessels
the blood is forced out. The longer the
time the better the result. A short time
expels the blood from only the larger
vessels. In longer period the fluid
passes from the larger to the smaller yes
sells and into the capillaries. This dis
tends the skin and produces life-like
appearance.
The cost of the process is SIS and up
ward. Embalming grows more common
every year. In the past thirty months
our establishment has embalmed about
200 subjects. We are still behind the
ancients in our work. In the main, a
subject well treated lasts three years.
This is a fair average. 1t would be larger
if it were not for occasional cases in
which the antiseptic liquids seem to lose
their efficiency. There is, however, a
distinguished chemist in Italy who claims
to petrify a subject by using some silicate
preparation. Though l have not seen the
process employed, yet have been shown
specimens which resemble petrifactions
A second duty of the embalmer is the
same as that of an undertaken, to make
the subject as life-like and natural as
possible. There is division in the pro-
fession at this point. Some endeavor by
art to restore almost all the character
istics Of life; others merely endeavor to
remove the disagreeable insignia of death.
As for myself, think it proper to con-
ceal the marks of wounds, accidents or
disease No art can take away the hor-
ror of death. Its excess makes death the
more terrible by contrast.
The embalmer runs the risk of disease
and blood poisoning. A subject once
preserved and treated is innocuous; but
in the process the germs of the disease
from which he died are expelled in vast
numbers in the blood. The operator in
such cases always runs the risk of con-
tagion and infection. Blood poisoning is
as apt to occur as to the surgeon. The
danger in all the cases, however, can be
guarded against. Those who are attacked
are nine times out of ten ignorant fun
eral directors, who call themselves en-
balmers when they are not. IN. Y.