Cadaveric dissection serves as an educational tool for
training of health science students and also an important
research tool. Hence proper preservation of the cadaver
is important and it is done with the help of embalming.
Embalming is the art and science of preserving human
remains by treating them with chemicals to forestall
decomposition. In this article, we look at how embalming
has evolved from ancient cultures to modern times. In
Ancient Cultures, Egyptians embalmed the body for
eternal life of the soul. For this, they divested the body of
all moisture for preservation and removed organs except
the heart because they believed that heart is where the
soul resides. Later the body was wrapped in layers upon
layers of linen sheets creating a new being of divine
character and able to live forever. Different methods of
embalming were also seen in Spain, Northern Greece
and China. In the Middle Ages embalming became
widespread in Europe. Evisceration was carried out and
body cavities were filled with herbs and spices; then the
body was sewed and wrapped in waxed cloth. The period
of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is known as the
‘Anatomists' Period of Embalming’. New techniques like
injections into hollow structures and injections of the
vascular system with different types of solutions started.
Arsenic was one of the contents used, funeral embalming
began and in 1920 formaldehyde was first used in the
embalming fluid. The period from 1861 is known as the
‘Funeral period of Embalming’ as there was separation of
the fields of embalming by undertakers and embalming
for medical and scientific purposes. The bodies of
Abraham Lincoln and Vladimir Lenin were embalmed in
this period. In ‘Modern Embalming’, the embalming fluid
comprises different kinds of chemicals like preservatives,
disinfectants, buffers, humectants, anticoagulants, dyes
and masking agents or deodorants. Today embalming
has come a long way and is being replaced with processes
like ‘Plastination’ and ‘Cryopreservation’.