How to embalm a body:
The first step in
the embalming process is surgical, in which bodily fluids are removed and are
replaced with formaldehyde-based chemical solutions. The second step is cosmetic, in
which the body is prepared for viewing by styling the hair, applying makeup,
and setting the facial features.
Preparing The Body
For Embalming:
Before the surgical embalming or cosmetic processes can
begin, the body is washed in a disinfectant solution and the limbs are massaged
and manipulated to relieve rigor mortis (stiffening of the joints and muscles).
Any facial hair is shaved off, unless the person who died wore facial hair.
Setting The Facial
Features:
The eyes are closed, often using skin glue and/or plastic flesh-colored
oval-shaped “eye caps” that sit on the eye and secure the eyelid in place. The
mouth is closed and the lower jaw is secured, either by sewing or wires. If the
jaw is sewn shut, suture string is threaded through the lower jaw below the
gums, up and through the gums of the top front teeth, into the right or left
nostril, through the septum, into the other nostril, and back down into the
mouth. Then the two ends of suture string are tied together. If the jaw is
wired shut, a tool called a needle injector is often used to insert a piece of
wire anchored to a needle into the upper and lower jaws. The wires are tied
together to securely close the mouth. Once the jaw has been secured, the mouth
can be manipulated into the desired arrangement.
Arterial Embalming:
For arterial embalming, the blood is removed from the body via the veins
and replaced with an embalming solution via the arteries. The embalming
solution is usually a combination of formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, methanol,
ethanol, phenol, and water, and may also contain dyes in order to simulate a
life-like skin-tone.
Cavity Embalming:
For cavity embalming, a small incision is made near the bellybutton and
a sharp surgical instrument used for drainage, called a trocar, is inserted
into the body cavity. Using the trocar, organs in the chest cavity and abdomen
are punctured and drained of gas and fluid contents and then replaced with
formaldehyde-based chemical mixtures. The incision is closed, and at this point
the body is fully embalmed.