Lincoln's embalmment

[L Verge]

(11-29-2014 12:23 PM)loetar44 Wrote:  In the Netherlands, embalming of corpses is only permitted in exceptional cases. This is in contrast with thanatopraxy (where the body is preserved for only up to 10 days), which may be used in the Netherlands on each deceased. Embalming is allowed in the Netherlands for members of the Royal Family, on deceased who are transferred abroad and on deceased who donate their body to science. When embalmed, the embalmer uses a higher percentage of formalin. In thanatopraxy the component formalin is very low (0.5%).The rest of the embalming fluid consists of coloring agents, salts and other minerals in a given composition.

Typical embalming fluid contains a mixture of formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, ethanol, humectants, and wetting agents and other solvents that can be used. The formaldehyde content generally ranges from 5 to 35 percent and the ethanol content may range from 9 to 56 percent. Source is a Wiki site.

And that's as far as I'm going to go on this subject except to add another personal experience. For nearly ten years, Surratt House sponsored an In Mourning exhibit during the month of July in recognition of the death of Mrs. Surratt. From coffin in the parlor to draped mirrors and portraits to funeral food, and a magnificent display of mourning memorabilia, we covered it all.

In preparation for this, our committee of four arranged a visit with the Lee Funeral Home in D.C., an establishment that had been in business sine the mid-1800s. Their facility was a museum in its own right, and I saw things that I never wanted to see and heard things that I would rather not know. As we piled in the car to make our escape, I remember declaring that, if my mother were to die that night, there was no way an undertaker would touch her! I was prepared to put her in the back seat of my car, drive to our private cemetery, and bury her myself...

This was just a few years after Jessica Mitford wrote her blasting book about the funeral home practices of scamming money from the grief-stricken family. I didn't get that vibe - I just didn't like what was rather macabre to me.

When my mother died five years ago, the funeral director was very kind and gracious, and the mortician did his/her job properly, and I was pleased. BTW: did you know that there is a difference between a funeral director and a mortician?