The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-27
AN EmBALmnR,s SECRET.
Was There a Blunder in Preserving tina
Body of President Garfield?

was There Blunder IN preserving Una
Body of President Garfield?
Adrian, Mich. Special.
The Times, this morning publishes the fol-
lowing interview with professional embalmer
1T is very easy to make a. blunder which
might be fraught with disagreeable results-
Now, take the case of President Garfield, for
instance" said he.
President Garfield What was there about
his caseis queried the scribe.
"Ah, forgot for moment that was talking
to an outsider, but the matter has long ceased to
be secret in the ranks of the profession, and /
ident Garfield died at Elberon on the 10Th OF
September, 1881, on the eightieth day
after he was shot. On the afternoon
of the 2lst the train bearing his
remains reached Washington, and, on the very
next day, it was announced that decomposition
had already set in, tn casket was closed and
the remains shut from view Whyl Somebody
blundered. l am not going to give the mans
name for he Is out of business now, believe;
I am sure he ought to be-. But he undertook to
embalm the remains and he did it, but he blum
dered in doing it. Let me explain. Embalming
is done for two objects, which are entirely dis
tinct from each other, and to reach either differ
emit methods are employed. If the embalmer
wishes to preserve the features and complexion
intact he opens the brachial artery in the left
arm (no blood remains in the arteries after
death, you know, and injects about Quart of o
certain preparation, the components of which
are a profound secret, but the basis of which is
arsenic, or, more properly speaking, arseniate
of soda. But if the embalming is done with tho
idea of preserving the subject for the dissecting
table. preserving the tissues, you see, an incisioq
is made in the carotid artery, and about gallon
of an entirely different fluid injected. Were
YOU ever in a dissecting roomY Yes. Well, then
you have noticed the copper color of subjects on
the table This discoloration is caused by the
action of the fluid. And this is precisely what
happened with the remains of President Gar
<nl 1aeAn -
of the former mixture" But how do you
know this9" II know it, Let me explain fur
Their. The train bearing the remains reached
Cleveland on the afternoon OF Saturday, the Oath.
be buried on Monday. Were you in. Cleveland
then?"
sIwasn
.'And did you see the remains1"
''No. 1t was announced that decomposition
had set in before the remains left Washington.
and consequently they were not exposed to
vlewn
s'Well, saw the remains and can vouch for
the correctness Of what l say. Cleveland had
been almost as much Garfieds home as Mentor.
1t was desired that if possible, the people there
should have chance to get q last look at the
face of the man they had loved and honored so
much. Accordingly, on reaching Cleveland, the re-
mains were hurried to an undertaker's establish
ment, and the night was spentin tryingto get the
face bleached into presentable shape. But 1t was
no use. Work as we would and experiment 80
we dared, too much time has elapsed since the
wrong fluid has been injected, and the face was
discolored beyond our efforts to bleach it. Sun
day morning found us still at work 1t also
found thousands of people in line ready to pass
through the pavilion and past the catafalqua
1t was 100 late to get the remains back into the
casket, and all that day and far into the night
crowds passed by that empty casket. The re-
mains were placed back on Sunday night and
duly taken to the cemetery on Monday.
''There, have told you a story that has long
been current in the profession. You can give IL
to the public, if you like"