The document provides a comprehensive overview of embalming, detailing its history, methods, and the chemicals involved in the process. It categorizes preservation techniques into natural and artificial means, discussing the evolution of embalming practices from ancient Egypt to modern methods. Additionally, it lists various embalming fluids, their components, and procedures while outlining the factors affecting fluid distribution within the body.

2. CONTENTS.
 INTRODUCTION
 HISTORY
 CHEMICAL FLUIDS
 TYPES
 REFERENCES

3. Definition:-
Embalming is one of humankind’s longest practiced arts,
is a means of artificially preserving the dead human
body.
Modern embalming is defined as the study & science of
treating a dead human body to achieve antiseptic
condition, a pre mortem appearance & preservation.

4. Introduction:-
Esmond R Long M.D., a Medical Historian
‘Nothing gives a better perspective of the subject than an
appreciation of the steps by which it has reached its
present state’

5. Types of preservation
 Natural means.
 Artificial means.

6. Natural means of preservation
 Freezing – ice, snow, glaciers.
 Dry cold – cold dry air.
 Dry heat – dry warm air.
 Nature of the soil at the place of interment.

7. Freezing
Inca human sacrifice Snowcapping

8. Dry cold
Dry cold preservation of Bishop Peder Winstrup, 1605-1679,
church of Sweden.

9. Dry heat
Egyptian mummies

10. Nature of soil
 Long term burial in peat bogs.
 Soil impregnated with salt, aluminium or copper.

11. Artificial means of preservation
 Simple heat
 Powders
 Evisceration & immersion
 Evisceration, local incision & immersion
 Evisceration & drying
 Simple immersion
 Arterial injection
 Arterial injection & evisceration
 Cavity injection & immersion
 Arterial injection & cavity treatment
 Artificial cold

12. Simple heat
 Simple heat – slow drying in an oven that is heated
with mixture of slaked lime.

13. Powders
 Powders – sawdust + zinc sulphate or other
preservatives.

14. Evisceration & immersion
 Evisceration & immersion – used by Egyptians.

15.  Evisceration & drying – Guanche method.
 Evisceration, local incision & immersion – Europe
 Simple immersion – alcohol, brine or other liquid
preservatives.
 Arterial injection & evisceration – Hunter Brothers
 Cavity injection & immersion – Gabriel Clauderus
method.

16.  Arterial injection – mode of treatment of Gannal,
Sucquet.
 Arterial injection & cavity treatment – Modern
method.
 Artificial cold – refrigeration inhibits bacterial
activity.

17. Period of embalming history
1st period
 Originated in Egypt.
 3200 BC to 650 AC.
 Religious motive, believe in resurrection.
 Variation in techniques.

18. Continue..
2nd period
 650 AD to 1861
 Practiced in Europe.
 Period of Anatomists.
 Motive is to advance the development of
embalming.

19. Continue..
3rd period or modern period
 1861 till now.
 Europe to America.
 Funeral purpose, sentiments, public
transportations.
 Preserve for further study & research in anatomy.

20. Chemicals & fluids
 Preservatives
 Germicides
 Buffers
 Wetting agent
 Anticoagulants
 Dyes
 Vehicle
 Perfuming agent

21. Preservatives
 Formaldehyde
 Methanol
 Phenol

22. Formaldehyde
 Discovered in 1856, by british chemist, August
Wilheld Von Hofmann.
 Colourless
 Pungent odour
 Commercially available as formalin containing 37% of
formaldehyde in water.
 7% methyl alcohol, 37% formaldehyde remaining water.

23. Methanol
 Volatile, inflammable & poisonous.
 If consumed, causes blindness & death.
 Best preservative that precipitates proteins and kills
many organisms.
 Best useful dilution is 75% isopropyl alcohol.
 It is cheaper, toxic than ethanol.
 Stabilises formalin.
 Penetrates & diffuses easily.

24. Phenol
 Carbolic acid, Coal tar derivative, extremely
poisonous, colourless, Crystalline solid.
 Light exposure, turns dark(oxidation).
 Rapidly absorbed by protein contents of tissues.
 Non soluble in water, Soluble in ether, ethanol,
chloroform & glycerine.
 Powerful germicide & fungicide.
 Greying of tissues.

25. Germicides
 Surface disinfectants
 Kill microbes
 Eg: phenolic derivatives, zephiran chloride,
glutaraldehyde.

26. Buffers
 Weak acids or basic salts are used to stabilise the pH,
called buffers.
 Stability of the chemicals in embalming depends on
pH of the medium.
 Eg: sodium borate, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium
carbonate, sodium carbonate.

27. Wetting agent
 Lowers high surface tension of water & facilitates
penetration and distribution of embalming fluids.
 Eg: glycerine, glycol, sorbitol, sodium lauryl sulphate.

28. Anticoagulants
 Used to precipitate the calcium to non ionized state.
 They maintain blood in liquid state & facilitate
removal of blood and distribution of arterial fluids.
 Eg: sodium citrate, sodium oxalate

29. Dyes
 Produce an internal cosmetic effect that simulates
natural colouring of tissues.
 Eg: tetra bromo fluorescein(eosin), ponceau,
erythrosine, amaranth, acid fuchsin, toludine red &
rhodamine.

30. Vehicles
 Diluents or solvents or a mixture of solvents.
 Helps the ingredients in solution in a stable and
uniform state during transport through vascular
system to different parts of body.
 Eg: alcohols, glycerine, sorbitol, water

31. Perfumes
 Masking agents, water soluble or made water soluble
by surfactants.
 They are floral compounds.
 Eg: methyl salicylate(oil of winter green), clove oil,
cinnamon oil of peppermint(minthol) or lavender.

32. Muscle relaxants
 Relaxes smooth muscles in arterial wall & assist flow of
fluids in vascular system.
 Eg: magnesium chloride

33. Disinfection
Disinfectant - agent used to inanimate by destroying
microbial agent but not bacterial spores.
Germicide - agent used to inanimate by destroying
microbial agent but not bacterial spores.
Sterilization – effective decontaminates completely.

34. Embalming fluids
 Arterial fluids
 Cavity fluids
 Pre injection fluids

35. Arterial fluids
 Injected into vascular system.
 Dilution varies with types of bodies – dehydrated,
obese, oedematous.
 Also varies with special conditions like – refrigerated
bodies, burnt bodies, infants.

36. Arterial fluids for obese subject
1 Preservatives formalin
methanol
10 %
55%
2 Buffers Sodium borate 15 gm.
3 Anticoagulants Sodium citrate 15 gm.
4 Wetting agent Glycerine 15%
5 Germicide Phenol 5%
6 Vehicle Water 15%
7 Fungicide Thymol Few crystals
8 Dye 1% Eosin 5 ml.
9 Perfume Winter green oil 10 ml.

37. Arterial fluids for thin subjects
1 Preservatives formalin
methanol
10 %
55%
2 Buffers Sodium borate 15 gm.
3 Anticoagulants Sodium citrate 15 gm.
4 Wetting agent Glycerine 20%
5 Germicide Phenol 5%
6 Vehicle Water 10%
7 Fungicide Thymol Few crystals
8 Dye 1% Eosin 5 ml.
9 Perfume Winter green oil 10 ml.

38. Cavity fluids
 Fluids injected into body cavities i.e. thoracic,
abdominal and pelvic cavities with a trocar.
 For an average body, about 2 lts of cavity fluid is
injected.
 Preserves & disinfects the walls & parenchyma of
organs, contents of hollow viscera & space between
visceral organs.

39. Cavity fluid compositions
1 Formalin 60%
2 Methanol 25%
3 Glycerine 2.5%
4 Phenol 10%
5 Mercuric chloride 1%
5 Lavender 1%

40. Pre injection fluids
Death
Forces greater
volume of blood
to capillary bed &
venous system

41. Continues..
 Pre injection fluid is injected before injecting arterial
fluids.
 It allows to drain the blood from vascular system.
 4 to 5 litters injected, wait for 30min before injecting
arterial fluids.
 Loosens clots, improves drainage.
 Contains anticoagulants & buffers.

42. Fluids used in dissection laboratories
Paint mixture – for keeping moist.
1 Glycerine 75%
2 Alcohol 10%
3 Phenol 5%
4 Water 10%

43. Tank (immersion) fluid – for immersing cadavers
1 Formalin 15%
2 Glycerine 20%
3 Phenol 5%
4 Water 60%

44. Cloth fluid – prevent drying of area under dissection &
isolated dissected part.
1 Formalin 5%
2 Glycerine 50%
3 Phenol 5%
4 Water 40%

45. Methods of embalming
 Arterial embalming
 Cavity embalming
Supplemental method
 Hypodermic embalming
 Surface embalming

46. Hypodermic embalming
 To preserve small or large local body areas by
subcutaneous injection.
 May be arterial fluid or cavity fluid.
 Hypodermic syringe, 8 to 19 gauge of varying length.

47. Surface embalming
 Local body areas are preserved by applying suitable
chemicals to surface of the body.
 May be arterial or cavity fluid.
 Packs of cotton or gauge are soaked, applied to eternal
skin.
 Eg: burned tissues, bed sores, surface lesions

48. Embalming procedure
Factors determining the flow of fluids into tissues
 capillary resistance,
 chemical composition,
 injection pressure,
 osmosis, diffusion & gravity.

49. Gravity injection
 Traditional, safest, simplest & least expensive.
 Graduated glass bottle, 10 litters with an outlet.
 Outlet is corked through which the nozzle is passed,
connected to transparent rubber tube with screw
clamp to regulate rate of flow.
 Other end is attached to injecting needle or cannula.
 Bottled filled with arterial fluid is kept 4 to 6 feet from
embalming table.
 Raise of 1 foot gives fluid pressure of 0.43 pound.

50. Electric pump
 Simple device generates pressure to force fluid from
tank to vascular system.
 Provides steady & high pressure.
 Delivers 8 to 10 litres within 30 to 45 min.

51. References
• Ajmani, M.L (1998) 'Embalming: principles & legal
aspects', , (), pp. .
Andrew, L. Hodges (2006) 'Embalming explained',
• Internet source

52. Thank you