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The History of Embalming

Taken Into a tent, the body is washed with good-smelling palm wine and rinsed with water. A cut Is made In the left side of the body and most of the Internal organs removed. The heart Is not taken out for It Is the center of Intelligence and feeling. The brain Is smashed by a long hook and pulled out through the nose. The body is stuffed and covered, then left out to dry for forty days, only to be washed again. Stuffed with dry materials and covered with good smelling oils, it is now ready to be wrapped. B.

Subject Statement: Today, I would like to share with you the history of embalming. Significance of Subject: Embalming, seen as an alternative to early decomposition, has been around for centuries, only to have recently started back up again. D. Point Preview: First, I will share with you the orally of embalming; second the men who Influenced the world of embalming, and last, embalming entering the united States. L. Mall Point One – Orally of Embalming a. Subject Statement: Embalming was first practiced in the early dynastic period of Egypt around the year 4000 before the Common Era. . Documentation: According to the 1 908 edition of The Practical Embalmer by A. Johnson Dodge, “it is believed by some that the origin of embalming in Egypt is to be traced to the lack of fuel for the purpose of cremation and the danger to the people of burying in a soil that was so likely to be disturbed at any time by the overflowing of the river Nile. ” c. Illustration: With such complications, deceased bodies would become a detriment to the health of others, Illustrating how many of the deaths were brought on by the unsanitary conditions.

However, most believe the practice of embalming arose from superstition In regards to resurrection of the body, from a religious standpoint, due o the soul never fully leaving the body as long as the body remained intact. D. Signpost Statement: Not only were the Egyptians reasons for starting embalming insightful, but so were their methods. E. Documentation: As stated in the first volume of The Britain Medical Journal on May 28th of 1898, the article “The Embalming of the Dead,” there is “an account of three methods in use…

In the case of poor persons, the body was simply kept in matron for seventy days after a previous rinsing of the abdomen with Assyria. ” f. Illustration: Visual Lad of Preserved Mummy As seen here, a mummy embalmed thousands of years ago Is still horology intact. Scientists have been able to find clone-able DNA dating to around and find signs of anemia and hemolytic disorders dating back to year 3200 before the Common Era. G. Summary Statement: In pursuit of more sanitation and afterlife, the Ancient Egyptians developed a process they, themselves, used for more than thirty centuries.

Transition Statement: h. Now that we have discussed the origin of embalming, let’s see how different men advanced embalming through new discoveries of preservative fluids. II. Main Point Two- Men That Influenced Embalming Over the years, many men have made new discoveries which have impacted the world of embalming. Some have made a greater impression on it than others. As mentioned in the 1990 BBC Science video, Raiders of the Human Body: The Vanities of Dry. Rush, “what was to become [Rush’s] trademark, [was] the technique of injecting substances into organs to reveal their blood vessels…

At the time, anatomical specimens were hard to come by, but Rush could now preserve the few he had for eternity. ” Dry. Rush is considered the father of embalming with his discovery of the first successful system of arterial embalming, which he utilized in order to learn bout the human anatomy and create his own fine works of art. D. Signpost Statement: However, Dry. Rush was not the only man to work with methods of preserving to learn more about the world of science.

According to the Wyoming Funeral Directors Association website, last accessed September 27th of 2009, “in the ‘Dark Ages’, in Europe, embalming was generally not practiced… Discoveries [however, were] made in the world of medicine [which] would have a great influence in the development of modern embalming technique. ” f. Illustration: Visual Aid of Embalming Fluid Bottles and Box Most of the men who influenced embalming were great men of science, along with anatomists. Some of the men included : Leonardo Advance, who used arterial injection to preserve specimens; Dry.

William Hunter, who is credited with being first man to successfully adopt arterial injection as meaner of preserving; and Alexander Butler and Wilhelm von Hofmann, who are credited with the discovery of formaldehyde. Each man discovered something new for the preservative fluids used for embalming. Through many curious minds, the fluids of preservation were expanded upon and were made to allow things to last an eternity. . Transition Statement: Now that we have seen how embalming fluids have evolved due to scientific discoveries, let’s see how embalming entered the United States. Ill.

Matt-I Point Three – Embalming Entering the United States Following the Dark Ages, embalming was rarely practiced. Then modern embalming got its start during the American Civil War period. B. According to the 2005 edition of Robert G. Mayor’s book Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice, “the military dead were buried in the field near where they fell in battle. It was possible for the relatives to have the remains returned to heir home for local burial under certain circumstances. ” At the beginning of the Civil War, as with most other wars, there was no way to return the dead to their homes.

For part of the Civil War, family members of the deceased had to go to the hospitals and battlefields in hopes of finding their dead loved one and bringing them home for a real burial. Embalming during the Civil War became more frequent and carried out in a variety of ways and techniques. D. Signpost Statement: During the Civil War was an embalmer that stood out from all the others, Dry. Thomas Holmes. As viewed from the National Museum of Funeral History Civil War Embalming Exhibit weapon, last accessed September 27th of 2009, “the Civil War required Dry.

Thomas Holmes to be on the move from one battlefield to the next. The tent located to the left of the main embalming tent was his home. ” f. Illustration: Visual Aid of Dry. Thomas Rush at Work Dedicated to his work, Dry. Thomas Holmes’ reputation leaped after he embalmed the body of Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, a security guard to President Lincoln. Dry. Thomas Holmes reportedly embalmed over 4000 soldiers and officers. Not only had he embalmed numerous amounts of people, but he also patented many inventions relating to embalming in is lifetime. Dry.

Thomas Holmes’ embalming in the American Civil War caught the attention of many, such as President Lincoln, which soon lead to embalming being available to the public. Conclusion a. Summary Statement: Embalming has impacted many lives through the large amount of years that have passed, and will continue to impact lives for many years to come. B. Post Point Preview: The history of embalming is vast, from its start over 6000 years ago in Egypt to the Dark Ages when it was rarely used yet advancing through discoveries in science to the Civil War in which it became greatly practiced in the United States. C.

Significance of Subject: Embalming is a preservation of sorts, allowing people to be buried with loved ones and scientific discoveries to be made. D. Wraparound: Washed with a germicide and the rigor mortises massaged out, the body is rubbed with massage cream to soften the skin. After features are stuffed and drained. Gases and fluids are removed from the body cavity, and the body is washed and dried. The face is painted up and hair styled Just before the body is placed into the casket. This shows the difference between the Ancient Egyptians early method of embalming, mentioned earlier, and the modern method of embalming used today.

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