Most Americans understand that embalming involves chemicals. Some may know that a few religions consider it to be desecration or abuse of a body. Few know the details of the process of modern embalming. This post contains descriptions and images that may be offensive or triggering for some individuals; please use discretion in choosing to read further.

Modern American embalming, or arterial embalming, follows the same general process for each body, although details may be different depending on individual conditions; as noted by Harold Schechter, “a body afflicted with crippling arthritis presents different problems from, say, the autopsied corpse of a shotgun victim.” The process begins with permissions and preferences being authorized by family, assuming that no arrangements were planned ahead of time. After this, the mortician can begin.

An embalming table, with the embalming fluid machine in the background. Image by David Rase, via Wikimedia. — An embalming table, with the embalming fluid machine in the background. Image by David Rase, via Wikimedia.

Personal protective equipment is generally worn by the mortician throughout the process. These items include: a waterproof suit or surgical apron, latex gloves, goggles or a face shield, shoe covers, face mask and surgical cap. The corpse is placed on a steel embalming table, and stripped of all effects worn: clothing, jewelry, watches, etc. With the possible exception of the clothing, which may require being cut off of the body, these artifacts are put in a box to be delivered to the family, unless specified items will be placed back on the body before burial (such as a necklace that was always worn or a religious artifact). After spraying or sponging a strong disinfectant on the body, the mortician will clean the corpse with germicidal soap. Pampering continues with a shampooing, and shave for everyone, unless there is distinct facial hair that needs to remain (e.g. a goatee)—then that hair will be trimmed neatly—this process concludes with making sure that there is no grime under the fingernails and cleaning out the nose and mouth. The corpse is then massaged and flexed to remove the rigor mortis, so that it may be posed as it will be in the coffin; to prevent the body from being only in profile, the head is turned to the right and tilted slightly, as though—if the person were to open their eyes—they were looking at the mourners as they approached the side of the coffin.

Plastic eye caps, from Confessions of a Funeral Director — Plastic eye caps, *from Confessions of a Funeral Director*

Speaking of the eyes, it’s time to close them; there are a number of ways of doing this, including plastic eye caps. These eye caps can be thought of as rather large contact lenses, but with spikey punch marks on them; those spikes will hold the eyelid in place, down over the eyeball, and provide a more ‘living’ appearance by preventing sunken eye sockets. A bit of glue may also be used to make sure that the eyes remain shut.

The mouth is then prepared. Again, there are several methods by which the mouth can be permanently closed. Possibly the oldest and most traditional is to sew it shut, however, this isn’t stitches across the lips. Instead, large curved needle is threaded through the jaw (below the gums) up through the upper jaw, into the right nostril, across the nasal septum then back down through the left nostril into the upper jaw, finally being tied with the other end. Once tied, the jaw has been forced closed and will remain that way.

Another option is the use of a spring-injecting needle system, which can be described as a “surgical staple gun that shoots wired barbs deep into the upper and lower gums” and then draws the jaw shut. Either way, after ensuring the jaw is in a closed position, cotton padding or mortuary putty is used to achieve a ‘natural’ or ‘living’ appearance; the lips may be sealed shut with a bit of glue or stay crème as well.

A trocar in use for cavity embalming, from Paak Funeral Home — A trocar in use for cavity embalming, *from Paak Funeral Home*

Now that the initial body preparation is done, the actual embalming portion of the process can happen. Earning its namesake of arterial embalming, the mortician makes an incision on the neck to reach the carotid artery, using a wire hook to pull it to the surface. The same process is performed on the opposite side to bring up the jugular vein. The jugular will be used for drainage, so a tube is inserted into that artery; the tube inserted into the carotid artery is hooked up to the embalming machine, which pumps the formaldehyde-based solution into the blood vessels. By mirroring the function of a living heart, the machine circulates the preservative through the arteries and veins, eventually exiting the body through the jugular. Virtually all of the blood will be removed in the process, which is then directed, via the tube, into the basin on the table that drains—much like any sink—into the municipal sewer system. When the embalming fluid has replaced the blood in the vessels, the machine can be shut off, the tubes removed, and the incisions are sutured shut.

Two types of trocar buttons, available from affordablefuneralsupply.com — Two types of trocar buttons, *available from affordablefuneralsupply.com*

Cavity embalming is the next part of the process. This removes the contents of the body’s organs and is achieved by use of a trocar and aspirator. The trocar, a long, hollow tube with a point at the end, is used to puncture the abdominal cavity, and then—through a series of thrusts—punctures the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, colon, intestines, and bladder. After releasing the body’s fluid contents in this way, the aspirator can then vacuum out all that viscera. This is also sent down the table’s basin. Because this viscera and the blood are put into the municipal water system, it will eventually be treated before being released, there is not a great deal of concern given to it; anymore than anything that is acceptable to flush down a toilet, though this point of fact is important when assessing alternatives to the embalming process.

Once that is complete, the trocar is removed and either exchanged for a one already attached to a preservative solution pump, or it will be switched to a pump, reinserted into the body and the abdomen flooded with the solution. Finally, with all the embalming fluid in place, the trocar is removed, and the puncture (or punctures) are closed by sutures or with the use of a trocar button, which looks very much like a plastic screw. To prevent any unfortunate leakage, the anus (and vagina, if applicable) will be packed with cotton that has been soaked in either phenol or another solution.

Cosmetic application practice, public domain image by Senior Airman Andrew Lee, USAF — Cosmetic application practice, *public domain image by Senior Airman Andrew Lee, USAF*

Thus prepared, the corpse will be washed again, and dried, before being dressed. Special cosmetics are then applied to restore the body to resemble the living person; often, a picture of the person is used as a guide for this process, to make the body appear just as it did in life. The final touch-ups will be done after the body is arranged in the casket.

What, exactly, is the ultimate goal of all this effort? From the funerary industry’s perspective, it’s to create a “beautiful memory picture” of the deceased for the survivors to remember them by. It’s a sweet thought—the idea of giving the family the body of their loved one as they looked in life, not as they looked just before their death—but a follow-up question needs to be asked: what happens after all this effort goes into making the corpse look like a living person?

Notes: I’d like to thank Caleb Wilde for his blog posts on the process and implements; please visit his blog, Confessions of a Funeral Director for his insights. For a moving description of a typical embalming, please read “The Embalming of Jenny Johnson” in Mark Harris’s book, Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial.

Sources: The Whole Death Catalog; A Lively Guide to the Bitter End by Harold Schechter, Ballantine Books 2009