Lincoln's embalmment

[loetar44]

(05-05-2013 03:14 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Years ago relatives of Dr. Brown sent me a newspaper ad that informed the public of his embalmment method. Dr. Steers' encyclopedia says that it was Henry P. Cattell, an associate of Dr. Brown's, who was the actual embalmer of President Lincoln. For many, many years I had thought it was Dr. Brown who did the embalming.

Knowing that this thread is from some time ago, but I can't resist to add the following. Maybe it is somewhat macabre or morbid, but I think it's interesting too.

Henry P. Cattell from the firm Brown & Alexander was indeed Abraham Lincoln’s actual embalmer. He was born Sept 7, 1838 in Blackwoodtown, N.J., son of Samuel Cattell and Catharine Pratt. Married in 1858 (wife deceased in 1889), 5 daughters and 1 son. He served 3 months in the Union Army (enlisted April 26, 1861, 20th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf – Scott Legion Reg). Became after the war lithographer and joined the Washington D.C. police on Sept 21, 1877. He retired March 1, 1912 from the Police force and died Dec. 8, 1915 in his home at Madrid

Here is a portrait of Henry P. Cattell, dating 1909

   

In a brochure of the Museum of Funeral Customs, 1440 Monument Avenue, Springfield, Illinois, I read the following:

Embalming immediately followed the autopsy. To perform the actual operation, Stanton called upon the firm of Brown & Alexander, Embalming Surgeons. They sent one of their employees, Henry P. Cattell.

BTW: In the City Directory for 1865, the firm of [Dr.Charles DeCosta]Brown & [Dr. Joseph B.] Alexander, both Masons, was listed as follows: “Charles D. Brown, M.D., and Joseph R. Alexander, M.D. , embalmers and surgeons, 323 D. North.” Henry P. Cattell was not a qualified doctor, but was the stepson of Dr. Brown and highly skilled in embalming. He learned the trade working in the firm. Brown and Alexander were originally from New York, but during the Civil War operating in Washington, D.C. And after the War, I believe (but not sure) in Virginia.

Cattell first positioned the body, closed the eyes, arched the eyebrows, and set the mouth in a slight smile. He also shaved the face except for a short tuft at the chin. After closing the cranial incision, he began the arterial embalming. Cattell used the femoral artery (in the thigh) to inject the embalming fluid. The main preservative chemical in the solution was zinc chloride, extracted by dissolving sheets of zinc in hydrochloric acid. The embalming solution and method were both of a French nature, adopted by Brown & Alexander before the war.

Lincoln did not receive any cavity treatment, as it was not a common practice at the time. Soon, Lincoln's body hardened to a marblelike state, ready for the amazing journey in store for it. Persistent problems with skin discoloration around the eyes resulted from the grim nature of the murder. Due to a phenomena called transmitted force, the bullet's impact as it entered the back of the head cracked both of the skull's orbital plates in the front bruising the skin. With constant, but simple,cosmetic attention, the staff of Brown & Alexander, who traveled with the body, were able to keep Lincoln in a presentable viewing condition with the help of local embalmers and undertakers along the way. Though often noting these discolorations, newspaper accounts generally reported favorably on the president's appearance.

BTW: the French method Cattlett used was the technique of the French Prof. Dr. J. P. Sucquet from Paris, and called arterial embalming, i.e., opening up an artery in the cadaver, flushing out the blood with water and replacing it with a fluid pump via an incision in the thigh artery by a powerful antiseptic fluid which contains no arsenic or other poison. Sucquet’s technique was then seen as the only method by which a dead body could be perfectly preserved with a life-like expression for all time, and without change of color or feature. The process was simple and instantly arrested decomposition; the body hardened gradually into a marble like mass. Brown & Alexander did not use the method of Dr. Thomas Holmes, the “father of American embalming” , because of the health risks since Holmes’ embalming fluid contained dangerous levels of arsenic and mercury. Further the firm of Brown & Alexander wrote: “a corpse embalmed by us presents all the appearance of sleeping life, rather than the gloom of death”, while arsenic-based embalming fluids caused discoloration of the skin.

The following bill was rendered by Brown & Alexander: “To embalming remains of Abraham Lincoln, lately President of United States: $100”. “To 16 days’ services for self and assistant, at $10 per day: $160”. The “self” mentioned in the bill was Dr. Brown. The “assistant” was Harry P. Cattell.

While Cattell was engaged in his embalming work, undertaker Frank T. Sands in collaboration with undertakers M.F. & G.W. Harvey were designing and making a coffin (it was not a casket). The bill for the coffin was $1500. The total bill (inclusive all fabrics, fringes, tassells, threads, lining etc) was $7,459. Frank Sands also traveled with the body.

I’m not a doctor, but I think –in answer on Eva’s question in her opening post - that nowadays formaldehyde is used as embalming fluid. Please correct me if I’m wrong… I think Stanton, not Mary, ordered the embalming of Lincoln. Please correct me if I’m wrong.