Prof. E. H. Crane's manual of instructions to undertakers

by Elliot H. Crane

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Chap.	[I].	—Ancient Embalming.
„	[II].	—Care of Ordinary Cases.
„	[III].	—Cases requiring Cavity Injection.
„	[IV].	—Cases requiring a full Treatment without Arterial Injection.
„	[V].	—Treatment in Cases indicating an Absence of immediate Results and final Success.
„	[VI].	—The Preservative as a Disinfectant and Preventative of Contagious Diseases.
„	[VII].	—The Preservative put up in Bottles for the use of Unprofessional Persons.
„	[VIII].	—Embalming by Arterial Injection.
„	[IX].	—Injection of the Carotid Artery. (Illustration of location of Carotid Artery.)
„	[X].	—Injection of the Brachial Artery. (Illustration of location of Brachial Artery.)
„	[XI].	—Injection of the Femoral Artery. (Illustration of location of Femoral Artery.)
„	[XII].	—Precautions to observe for the Safety of the Operator in Embalming.
„	[XIII]	—Chemical Affinities.
„	[XIV].	—Advantages to the Undertaker of Scientific Embalming.
„	[XV].	—Absorption by the Capillaries.
„	[XVI].	—Embalming Instruments.
„	[XVII].	—Caution in Storing and Keeping the Preservative.
Appendix, with commendatory letters,			Page	[48]
Note—Care of the Manual,			„	[141]
Letter to our Customers,			„	[142]

PROF. E. H. CRANE’S

Manual of Instructions

TO UNDERTAKERS.

CHAPTER I.
Ancient Embalming.

It is my object in these instructions to lay before the undertakers of this country a minute and detailed description of the only reliable process, and best method known, for the preservation and embalming of the dead, and at the same time to submit to them the important details to be followed out so condensed and free from unnecessary and superfluous language that the methods used shall be plain to any one, believing that any matter not strictly pertaining to the subject is out of place in a Manual of Instruction.

Long study and experiment in this interesting science has brought to light many valuable and practical results, and it is from actual tests and experiments extending over nearly a quarter of a century that I have devoted to this subject that has enabled me to say that with the aid of my Excelsior Preservative the Undertaker may rely with entire and perfect confidence, upon meeting with complete success in each and every case to which he may be called, and I can assure him that after using the Excelsior Preservative, he will have no desire to return to the use of ice, or any other preparation he may have used in the past.

The Egyptians embalmed their dead by a tedious process, which occupied from sixty to ninety days—constant attention and care being required. They always removed the brain, stomach and intestines, which last were sometimes deprived of their excrement and replaced in the body, and when they were called to embalm very fleshy subjects all of the adipose or fatty substances that could be removed were taken out of the bodies; this done, they were next bathed, or even immersed, in a solution of Arsenic, Asphaltum, Oil of Cedar, Gum Myrrh, and any or all of the aromatic spices that they could possess themselves of without respect to kind or quantity. After which the body was subjected to slow and steady heat for from sixty to ninety days; the application of the solution being repeated several times (smoke was also used in some cases); when the moisture was finally expelled from the body they were wrapped or rather wound with narrow strips of linen cloth from head to foot. These cloths were also saturated with Asphaltum, Arsenic and Gum Myrrh, which soon became dried and cemented together in a manner to prevent moisture from permeating the body as long as the wrapping remained intact.

Thus it will be observed that the Egyptian method is not a lost art, as has been supposed, neither would any person living under the present age of improvement allow it to be practiced on their dead.

It has been often remarked by those not informed in such matters, that the Egyptian method could not be fully analyzed or a new and better method discovered to take its place; but, fortunately, this is a great mistake.

The Peruvians equalled the Egyptian method without removing anything from the body, and all they used was smoke and heat. When the moisture was fully evaporated from the body it was placed in a dry, rocky tomb. Many of these mummies have been discovered in a fine state of preservation, and few, if any, are prepared to say but that these ancient dead have been lying in their rock-hewn tombs as long as the so-called Egyptian mummies have in the catacombs of Egypt.

I have given the above, as you will be asked many times in regard to the Egyptian method of embalming, and it will be a very great advantage to you in being able to give the information called for.

There are a number of so-called preserving or embalming preparations, sold as such (some having a little merit as a temporary preservative), but none of them possessing all the requirements of a perfect preservative, deodorizer and embalming compound.

Perfection, however, has been attained in the Excelsior Preservative, it being a perfect deodorizer, and for preserving and embalming the dead it surpasses anything known either in ancient or modern times.

Having explained the ancient method of preserving the dead, I will now take up the science as perfected, with the aid of the Excelsior Preservative and the practical instructions, which I herewith lay before you.

With this manual in your possession, you will be enabled to attain that perfection in the art of preserving and embalming the dead which the educated and refined taste of the people of this day require of your profession.

CHAPTER II.
Directions for the Care of Ordinary Cases.

To handle and preserve an ordinary case in warm weather, when the body is only to be kept one or two days, the undertaker will find my process very much easier than any of the old methods (in fact not half the work). In a case of this kind (as the ice-box or icing is done away with or omitted), all the undertaker has to do is to lay the body out, with the head from ten to twelve inches higher than the feet (the higher the head the better), and inject with the Syringe, using the large bent tube, say one-half of a pint of the Preservative into the nose or mouth, which will immediately run down the throat into the lungs and stomach, and prevent any fermentation or decay of any substance that may be in them. The body should be raised up in the sitting posture if there is any difficulty in injecting down the throat.

Then wet a large cloth (a large towel is the best,) with the Preservative and lay it over the chest and abdomen. This should be kept wet with the Preservative from four to eight hours, the longer the better; also wet cloths with the Preservative and lay over the face and hands. Be particular to press the cloth down well around the eyes, ears and neck. This effectually prevents any discoloration, or if it has already turned dark, the complexion will be restored as white as in life.

These cloths should also be kept wet with the Preservative from four to six hours, and even longer in some cases; this is all very quickly done, and easy to do by any one after they once understand it.

Now leave the body in this position on the inclined board for about 18 to 24 hours, when it can be dressed and placed in the casket. The cloths can now be removed from the face during the day, but should be replaced during the night and be kept wet with the Preservative, as a certain preventative against discoloration.

The undertaker can leave orders with the friends to wet these cloths and lay them over the face at night, thus saving himself the trouble of going back to look after it.

Remember, it is always best to let the body lie in the inclined position about 24 hours before placing it in the casket, and if kept in the casket over night the foot end of the casket should be lowered during the night-time in order that the inclined position of the body may be retained.

CHAPTER III.
Directions to Observe in a More Obstinate Case.

When the body is to be kept longer, it is best to first empty the stomach of whatever mucous or other substance can be got out of it. This is done easiest by turning the body onto its side, with the head drooping a little over the side of the bed or couch or whatever the body may be lying upon, and by pressing with your hand upon the stomach a portion of its contents will run out.

A washbowl or chamber, placed in a chair, is handiest for this purpose. (And here I would say, it is always best to inject into the stomach about one-quarter of a pint of the Preservative before attempting to empty it, as this will so effectually deodorize the contents of the stomach that no offensive odor or smell will arise when you empty it into the vessel, thus keeping the room free from stench.)

Immediately after emptying the stomach, place the body in an inclined position, with the head ten or twelve inches higher than the feet, as before stated (preferably on the cooling board if you have one, and the steeper the incline the better), and again inject with the syringe about one pint of the Preservative into the stomach.

This, as before stated, will effectually prevent any further fermentation or decay of any substance remaining in the stomach.

And as a further safeguard against any substance running out of the mouth, and consequent staining of the pillow or lining of the casket, it is well to stop up the throat with a little cotton. For this purpose you should have an instrument (it may be of wood) made in the shape of a spoon handle and about eight inches long; with this you can easily push a ball of cotton saturated with the Preservative well down the throat. This is a precaution that should never be omitted when the body is to be kept any great length of time, or when it has to be transported on the cars or other conveyance to any distance.

It is well to stop up the nose in the same way, but it must be done very neatly, so as not to show or change the appearance of it. Having thus attended to the stomach, you will next bathe the face, neck and whole body (if at all convenient), with the Preservative, using for this purpose a large lather brush, which is better than a sponge or cloth, as you can do the work much quicker and easier with the brush.

The rectum at this time should be injected with the Preservative and stopped with a ball of cotton saturated with the same. This should be well done, to guard against purging, and should never be omitted where there is any apparent danger of purging, or where the body is to be moved to any considerable distance before burial. Also puncture the abdomen with the Gas-trocar, and inject through the Gas-trocar into the cavity of the body around the bowels about one pint of the Preservative.

A large cloth or towel should also be wet with the Preservative and laid over the chest and abdomen, covering it well over; and in order that it will hold the moisture for several hours, it is best that the cloth should be several thicknesses over the abdomen, and should be kept wet with the Preservative by pouring from the bottle along the center of the cloth from time to time as long as the body is to be kept, or during the first two days when the burial is to take place on the third day, and if the burial is to take place on the fourth, fifth or sixth day, this cloth should be kept wet the first three days, and when the body is to be kept ten or fifteen days, this cloth should be kept wet proportionately longer.

This part of the work should be remembered and well attended to, as it is a well-known fact that decomposition and putrescence first makes its appearance in the bowels and stomach.

It is here the Preservative does its most thorough work, as, by keeping the cloths wet over the abdomen and stomach, the Preservative, to a very great extent, permeates the whole body, and is a valuable safeguard against bloating; and if bloating has not already commenced, it will never make its appearance after you commence to use the Preservative as above directed, and in very many cases it has been known to arrest and reduce bloating by its use as directed. As much depends upon absorption, the more of the Preservative there is applied externally, as above directed, the better results there will be obtained.

The face, neck, ears and hands should be well bathed with the Preservative, using the brush for this purpose, and if the ears have turned black you can remove the color in five minutes by keeping them wet with the Preservative, and pressing or squeezing them with your hand, and it is always well to do this when they have turned very dark.

However, the cloths that you have before been instructed to wet with the Preservative and lay over the face, neck and hands, will effectually remove all discoloration or prevent its appearance.

These cloths should be well pressed down around the eyes, nose, neck and ears, so as to be sure that the cloths touch every spot. The cloths can be kept moist by applying a little of the Preservative from time to time, without removing the cloths to wet them. These cloths should be kept on from ten to twelve hours, after which they can be removed through the day and replaced through the night.

If this process is kept up there will be a natural and life-like appearance preserved, without the least discoloration, and the face will look better at the end of the third or fourth day, or even a week, than it did at death. In the FREE USE of this Preservative, the longer you keep a body the better it will look.

The use of the Preservative in this way will not only preserve the body, but will effectually purify and deodorize the room, driving away all offensive smell, however bad it might have been at first, and perfectly disinfecting the house of all possibility of contagion, thus insuring safety to yourself and preventing further spread of the disease in the family.

This entire process will take less than thirty minutes of your time. The body should be kept in the inclined position from 20 to 30 hours, with the head at least twelve inches higher than the feet, (the easiest way to obtain this position is to drop the foot end of the board on the floor), at the end of which time it can be dressed and placed in the casket, but the dress should be left loose, so that the cloths over the chest and abdomen can be wet from time to time with the Preservative, as before directed, or you can insert the Gas-trocar through the clothing and inject the Preservative in on to the body and thus keep the cloths wet, and if kept in the casket over night, lower the foot end of it, as before directed.

It is also well to leave directions with the friends to bathe the face and neck once in two or three hours with the Preservative, using the brush for that purpose, and the cloths should be replaced on the face and hands during the night, as before stated.

A body treated in the foregoing manner can be kept for a week or ten days in any kind of weather (the very warmest) with perfect safety, and with comparatively little trouble to yourself you will have conferred a very great favor on the friends of the deceased, by thus giving them an opportunity of looking upon the remains from day to day, as often and as long as they wish, and also giving them all the time they may want to arrange and re-arrange the dress, hair and flowers preparatory to the funeral. It will readily be seen that this would be very much more satisfactory to any one, and much more in keeping with the refined taste of the present day, than the practice of hiding the body away to be frozen in the UNSIGHTLY ICE BOX, which is always a HORROR to the friends of the deceased.

CHAPTER IV.
Directions to Observe in a still More Obstinate and Difficult Case.

Where the body is badly bloated, when you are first called, it is best, immediately after attending to the stomach (as before instructed) to let off the gas from the cavities of the body. This is best done with the Gas-trocar, if you have one, as with this instrument, and having a small rubber pipe attached to it, you can puncture the abdomen or cavity of the body with the point of the Gas-trocar, and by extending the rubber pipe out of the window, the gas (which has a very offensive odor), will pass out of the window through the pipe, thus saving any disagreeable smell, for the time being, in the room. Many however, puncture the abdomen in several places and let the gas off in the room, as the Preservative will soon deodorize and purify the room.

It is sometimes necessary to puncture the body in two or three places, in order to get rid of all the gasses, but seldom more than once, as in nine cases out of ten the gas will all escape in less than two minutes from one opening.

Immediately after the gas has escaped, insert the point of the Syringe and inject one or two pints of the Excelsior Preservative into the cavity of the abdomen, which will pass all around the bowels and arrest any further decomposition or putrescence, and entirely prevent any further accumulation of gas or possibility of bloating. You can inject the Preservative through the Gas-trocar.

If you have found it necessary to make more than one incision with the Gas-trocar or knife, it is well to inject some of the Preservative into every opening made, even to the extent of three pints or more.

Whenever it is desirable for any reason to avoid leaving any external mark of the puncture, it should be made at the navel, first drawing the loose fold of skin at one side and puncturing through the navel; then, when the trocar is withdrawn the loose skin around the navel returns to its natural position. The trocar can be pointed downwards and to each side, injecting some of the Preservative in each place, thus accomplishing the thorough injection of the abdominal cavity from only one point of insertion.

In case it may be deemed necessary to inject the thorax (or cavity of the chest) raise or extend one of the arms and puncture and inject through the axilla or armpit.

The stomach may be reached from the point of insertion at the navel by pointing the Gas-trocar upwards at an acute angle, inclining it a little to the left in a line with the top of the left shoulder. The foregoing methods of injection have the advantage of leaving no visible trace of the operation.

It is also important (and not to be forgotten) to puncture the bladder with the Gas-trocar and draw off the urine. This is easily done by placing a washbowl or chamber in a chair and, after puncturing the bladder, turn the body on its side, and the urine will escape through the instrument at once, but if in some cases it might not escape through the Gas-trocar readily in this position it certainly will by raising the body to a sitting posture.

The point for the insertion of the Trocar to reach the bladder is just at the top of the os pubes or pubic bone (the bone uniting the hips in front at the bottom of the abdominal cavity), making the puncture in a line with the navel as near the top of the bone as you can and inclining the point of the Trocar a little downwards behind the bone.

Remember, always after the urine has been taken away, to inject at least half a pint of the Preservative into the bladder. It is important that this part of the work should be well done, for unless this precaution is taken, the urine is certain to escape more or less in the natural way on the second or third day.

And whenever the bladder is not thus attended to, you must never omit the simple precaution of putting on a good heavy diaper; say, double up a large sheet and use plenty of cotton well saturated with the Preservative, and do up the parts as snugly as a mother would her child, remembering to saturate these cloths again the second, third and fourth day, by pouring Preservative from the bottle on the diapers, thus deodorizing any escape that may have taken place, in order that there may be no disagreeable smell arising from this source on the day of the funeral.

This part of the practice is not new to those well up in the profession, but I have thought best to call your attention to these facts in order that no important point should be overlooked by any one.

This done, in addition to the treatment according to the foregoing instructions, I term partial embalming, and the entire time consumed in thus taking care of a body will not exceed one hour. And if the Preservative is used freely and my instructions are carried out in this process of treating a case, there will never be a failure, and the body in every instance will be as effectually preserved for ten, twenty or thirty days, as it would under a treatment of full embalming for all time.

CHAPTER V.
Cases Indicating Absence of Immediate Results.

In some cases the appearances of the body under treatment may indicate a want of immediate results from the application of the Preservative as the same case would from any kind of treatment. Which may be from the fact that from the nature of the disease or from circumstances connected with the death of the subject, decomposition sets in very rapidly, in some cases the blood and fluids of the body being in a state of rapid progress towards disintegration even before death, and although the Preservative permeates the tissues of the body very readily, the amount of actual contact of it is so limited in proportion to the whole mass of animal matter to be preserved, that some time must be allowed for sufficient saturation.

When such indications appear, do not be discouraged or allow the fears of the friends of the deceased of your ultimate failure deter you, but continue to persist in your work as you have been directed in these pages, neglecting or omitting no part of the process, allowing time enough for thorough saturation of the body with the Preservative, and the case will invariably come out all right, provided that the rules have all been carefully followed, and in fact a body under such careful and persistent treatment will present a better appearance after the third or fourth day than before.

I will here call your attention to the fact, if there are any disagreeable odors in the room when you are first called to attend the dead, a little of the Preservative sprayed about the room will effectually deodorize and disinfect it, rendering it at once pure and wholesome, remembering that the Excelsior Preservative will not stain or injure any clothing or fabric with which it may come in contact.

CHAPTER VI.
Prevention of Contagious or Infectious Diseases.

Many of our customers sell large quantities of the Preservative to disinfect sick-rooms. If sprayed around the rooms it will purify and deodorize them in five minutes, thereby arresting contagion. The best way to deodorize a room or the house, is to suspend a good-sized sponge saturated with the Preservative, in each room, with a plate underneath to catch the drip, and when dry saturate again from the plate.

A little of the Preservative should be poured into the chamber utensils, and it should also be sprinkled or sprayed on articles coming into contact with the infectious matter, also on the clothing of those attending the sick before leaving the sick-room, in order to avoid carrying the infection outside.

Whenever the Preservative is used freely in sick-rooms or throughout the house, where there is a case of scarlet fever or diphtheria, there will be no further spread of those diseases in the family. In this respect the Preservative is invaluable, and the Undertaker who wishes to push its sale on the merits of its value as a disinfectant for sick-rooms, will find it called for in time by nearly every family in his community.

The Preservative has been successfully used in epidemics of scarlet fever in many instances in the past, preventing its further spread whenever it has been freely and faithfully applied; and although I have no personal knowledge of its application as a disinfectant and preventative in yellow fever epidemics, I have no doubt whatever of its great usefulness in confining that dread disease in narrow limits, knowing from actual experience its effectiveness in neutralizing and destroying septic matter and all germs of contagion of every nature and kind.

CHAPTER VII.
Sale of the Preservative to Unprofessional Persons.

You will no doubt have customers who will only buy the casket and who will not require your attendance in laying out and caring for their dead, and we would suggest a source of profit and advantage to you in such cases in recommending the purchase of a bottle or two of the Preservative with directions for using on the face and exposed portions of the body, and such other uses as may be appropriate in each case. We can furnish the Preservative put up in bottles, labeled with directions for its use by unprofessional persons as a face application and as a disinfectant and deodorizer.

The greatly improved appearance of a body that has been even so partially treated with the Preservative, will not only make your customer’s investment in it entirely satisfactory to them, but it will be also an advertisement for and an aid to your business. It will be, in a professional point of view, entirely proper in such cases, and in cases of infectious diseases, to make the Preservative an article of merchandise, as it will aid in introducing and familiarizing the idea of embalming in your community; and will not at all interfere with, but will rather create a demand for your services as an Embalmer, for the use of the Preservative in such a limited way would only tend to make popular its more extended use, but as we furnish it only to the Undertaking Fraternity, it is for them and not for us to put it upon the market in that way or not, as they may choose.

CHAPTER VIII.
Embalming by Arterial Injection.

If circumstances render it desirable that the body shall be fully embalmed and preserved for an indefinite length of time, the Arterial Circulation should be filled with the Excelsior Preservative.

It is essential that you should have a thorough knowledge of all of the details of the methods used for the preservation of the dead by partial embalming or cavity injection as it is sometimes called, and to have some experience in the care of the dead by the processes already described, or at least to fully understand them, as it is necessary for the very best results from Arterial injection that the entire process of preserving and partial embalming of a body should be carefully and faithfully performed, according to previous instructions, as it is equally as necessary as the injecting of the Arterial Circulation, and no part or portion of the previous instructions for preserving should ever be omitted in a case of full embalming.

You can very easily learn from any physician where to find the arteries, how to distinguish them from the veins and nerves, and how to take them up and inject them, and it will be only necessary for you to have one ocular demonstration by your family physician how the operation is performed which with the minute directions I will now give you, will be sufficient, in fact, quite a large number of our customers who are now proficient in the art, have become so without any teaching other than that they have gained by reading and studying over carefully my directions, and practicing, whenever there were opportunities, and if you will procure the proper instruments and practice by yourself alone (and you will find many opportunities to practice upon subjects not requiring full embalming) you can acquire the necessary skill without personal instructions from any one.

Either of the three great arteries, viz: The Carotid, Femoral or Brachial may be selected for the operation, as it makes no difference in its effectiveness, all of the arteries of the body inosculating or intercommunicating with each other as well as being connected at the heart as a central point.

The arteries after death are flattened or collapsed, which is due to the fact that the blood is congealed in the veins, leaving the arteries empty and pale. Every artery has its corresponding vein by its side from which it is easily distinguished, as the veins are of a bluish color, while the arteries are of a creamish white. There is usually a nerve in close proximity to the artery, and although nearly of the same color, it may be distinguished by its being rounder and not being hollow like the artery. Taken between the thumb and finger the artery has the feeling of a hollow tube, while the nerve feels more solid to the touch being filled with a fibrous substance, something of the consistency of marrow.

The Carotid or great Artery of the neck (see illustration) being the largest one of the whole body, is used for the injection by some Embalmers, but in many cases it is necessary to avoid having the marks of the incision show, as would be the case with children dressed low in the neck. The Femoral, or main artery of the thigh (see illustration) is also objectionable from the necessary exposure while performing the operation, and as the Arterial Circulation can be filled equally as well from the Brachial or large artery of the arm, I would advise its selection, and as a rule, the confining of your practice to that location, as it is best to be expert in performing the operation by the one method rather than to be awkward from lack of sufficient practice from trying too many ways unless your opportunities for practicing are greater than is ordinarily the case.

CHAPTER IX.
Directions for Locating and Injecting the Carotid Artery.

The Carotid Artery lies nearer the surface, midway between the angle of the lower jaw and the top of the collar bone being deeper under the surface at the bottom of the neck. It is, however, desirable to make the incision as low in the neck as possible in order to avoid leaving the marks of it visible. Begin the incision on either side of the neck at a point half way between the thyroid cartilage (or Adam’s apple) and the top of the collar bone cutting downward. By reference to the plate illustrating the location and course of this artery you will note the place marked for the incision. The course of the Carotid Artery is in a line drawn from the angle or bend of the collar bone where it joins the Sternum or breast bone, upwards towards the ear, and it is at the side of and almost touching the windpipe at the top of the collar bone, but recedes backwards from the windpipe and comes nearer to the surface as it passes upwards. It is contained in a sheath which incloses also the internal jugular vein which lies close to and on the outer side of the artery.

See dotted line for place for making the incision.

Having taken up the artery, make a slit or cut in it lengthwise about three eights of an inch in length and insert the point of the syringe towards the body (never towards the head when you are injecting into the Carotid Artery), securing the artery to the syringe point with strong thread; also tie the artery above the syringe point, that nothing may run out from that end of the slit. Now proceed to inject the Preservative and continue to slowly force it into the artery as long as you can do so with moderate pressure of the syringe bulb, but discontinue when the veins in the forehead begin to show a slight distention. Then let it remain about two hours by which time the Capillary veins will have absorbed a portion of the Preservative already injected, when you will find it easy to inject about one-third as much more into the artery.

For most cases one injection is sufficient, but to keep a body for months it is well to repeat the injection the second day or the third day, the Preservative being largely absorbed by that time. After the injection is completed tie the artery below the point of the syringe securely, remove the syringe point, and sew up the cut.

CHAPTER X.
Directions for Locating and Injecting the Brachial Artery.

The course of the Brachial Artery is in a line drawn from the outer side of the armpit to the center of the bend of the elbow, and along the inner edge of the Biceps or largest muscle of the upper part of the arm (see illustration). This artery will be found just at the inner edge of the Biceps, at a point midway between the elbow and shoulder—sometimes a little under the edge of the muscle in very muscular subjects. Hold the arm out from the side of the body, twisting it a little outwards, and make the incision at the edge of the muscle. By reference to the plate illustrating the location of this artery, you will see the point marked for the incision. Having taken up the artery, make the slit and secure the syringe in it, the point directed towards the shoulder, and proceed according to the general directions already given for the Carotid Artery injection.

CHAPTER XI.
Directions for Locating and Injecting the Femoral Artery.

The course of the Femoral Artery is in a line drawn from the inner side of the knee upwards to a point midway between the outside of the hip-bone and inside of the thigh (see illustration). It is nearest the surface and is taken up and injected the most readily at a point about two inches below the lower edge or fold of the groin. By reference to the plate illustrating the course of this artery, the place for injection will be found marked. Having taken the artery up and made the slit, secure the syringe with the point directed upwards, i. e., towards the body, and proceed with the injection in the same manner as with the other arteries. The Femoral Artery is seldom used, however, the Brachial, and next to that the Carotid Artery, being usually preferred.

All bodies should be laid out upon an inclined plane (45 degrees is not too much), particularly during the process of embalming, as by thus inclining the body, the slight bloating of the face, caused by the filling of the arterial circulation with the Preservative, will soon pass off and a life-like expression remain.

CHAPTER XII.
Precautions to observe for the Safety of the Operator in Embalming.

Should you cut or prick your hand or fingers in any way while handling the dead, be sure and apply the Preservative AT ONCE to the wound, as it will insure safety from the inoculation of the poison virus by which many undertakers have lost their lives. I would also say to the undertaker, in every instance where he is called upon to lay out the dead, to first bathe his hands with the Preservative; this insures perfect safety and should never be omitted, for you can not tell at just what point you will meet with this deadly virus; and as I have before stated, the Preservative in this respect is positively indispensable to the undertaker.

I have already spoken in the highest praise of the Excelsior Preservative, but the half has not been told. The undertaker who places any estimate on the value of his own life, can not afford to be without this all important antidote against the dangerous inoculation of the poison or deadly virus which he is liable to encounter at any moment in handling the dead.

It is a very dangerous thing in any contingency to handle the dead, notwithstanding it has been done thousands of times without injury to the undertaker, yet this is due to great precaution on his part, or from the fact of his hands being in perfect condition, having no scratch, cracks, hang-nails, or abrasion of the skin through which the poison could be inoculated into his system, whereas, others with a simple scratch or hang-nail that they were not aware of until too late, have thus been poisoned and lost their lives.

Cases of purging or sloughing of the skin are of the worst type, these juices being fearfully poisonous, and the longer the body lays without treatment the worse it grows, hence the more dangerous to handle; therefore I say, it matters not what the undertaker charges for his services, he is never half paid for the risk he runs of losing his own life while fulfilling the duties of his profession in handling and taking care of the dead.

There is no public servant that takes upon himself one-half the personal risk, or whose services should be better appreciated by the community than those of the professional undertaker, and when the customer complains of prices, or where the undertaker’s charges are brought in question, these facts should be fully explained.

A fatal case happened under my own personal observation in California where the undertaker laid out a Chinaman that was purging at the mouth. Some of the poisonous fluid got into a hang-nail, and in three days he died, although a council of physicians was called, but nothing devised or prescribed could help him, simply for the want of a perfect antidote like the Excelsior Preservative, which, if applied, as directed in this manual, is a certain preventative against the deadly ravages of this virus. And I will once more say to the undertaker, you must be on your guard at all times, and as self-preservation is paramount to all other considerations in matters of this kind, be sure to bathe your hands in the Preservative before commencing to handle or lay out the dead, and also bathing them with it thoroughly immediately afterwards.

CHAPTER XIII.
Chemical Affinities.

I will here give a few of the reasons why the Excelsior Preservative will do all that I represent.

To those who are acquainted with chemical laws, hardly any discovery seems too strange to be true. Chemical laws and their affinities are truly wonderful, and if we are to produce a certain result on the dead human system, we must make use of chemicals that have affinities for the parts to be acted upon, and no affinity whatever for those parts that we desire to leave intact or undisturbed.

Careful study and experience have taught me that albumen and gluten are the principal if not the only putrescible substances with which we have to deal in the preservation of the dead.

Putrescent gases and odors which originate from the decomposition of those substances, partake largely of their nature, and even carry with them minute atoms of the corrupted mass into the air we breathe, and it matters not whether this putrid and offensive matter exist in the air or flesh, where the Excelsior Preservative comes in contact with it the air is at once cleansed and rendered wholesome, or the flesh preserved. My Preservative is made from chemicals that act directly upon the albumen and gluten, uniting with them to form a new compound, and the compound so formed becomes a new substance, and this has an affinity for the hitherto unaffected constituency of the flesh, which all combine to form a new, pure, and imputrescible whole; by this means changing the corruptible mass into a perfectly preserved body for all time. The Excelsior Preservative being infinitely superior and paramount to all other preparations known to man in either ancient or modern times for the preservation of the human body in its natural and life-like appearance.

CHAPTER XIV.
Advantages to the Undertaker of Scientific Embalming.

With the aid of this Manual, the enterprising Undertaker will soon find himself master of the situation, and no case, however complicated or obstinate, will be able to baffle his skill, and as there is not a town or city in the land in which there is not an occasional death of some person whose remains are removed to a distant place for interment, and as a great many of Undertakers are not skilled in the art of partial or full embalming, many such cases are of necessity either sent in a putrid state or shipped in an ice-box, to the very great annoyance and inconvenience of the friends of the deceased, when if the local Undertaker had been properly skilled in the preservation and embalming of the dead, the friends could have been gratified by not only having a proper funeral at its destination, but they would have had the satisfaction of the remains presenting a perfect and life-like appearance. The Undertaker who will give this part of the profession a little careful study and attention, will find that nothing will pay him better, for as soon as the people find out that he is really a professional undertaker, they will gladly rely upon him, and his services will be more and more appreciated by the educated and refined portion of the people, who always want this class of work well done, and are willing to pay and do pay for it whenever the Undertaker can convince them that he really understands the requirements of his profession.

I have been told hundreds of times, by persons who have lost relatives or friends, that they would have given $50, $100 or $200, or even $300, if they could only have had them preserved or embalmed for even two or three weeks, and much more if they could have had them fully embalmed. Therefore I say that there is nothing that can possibly pay the Undertaker better than to educate himself up to a full knowledge of the requirements of his profession, and it certainly is a very great inducement for him to do so when it is so easily done with the aid of the Excelsior Preservative and the instructions which I have laid before you.

CHAPTER XV.
Absorption by the Capillaries.

It is a well established fact that the capillaries or pores of the skin absorb liquids and many substances when in solution, as well as being channels of excretion of waste matter from the system.

“Draper’s Human Physiology” (a standard authority) says, page 241: “Besides exercising the functions of exhalation and perspiration, numerous facts demonstrate that the skin exerts an absorbent action. The endermic application of remedial agents establishes this in a satisfactory manner. That water can find access in this way is shown by the assuaging of the thirst which may occur on taking a bath; nor is the amount insignificant, since it may give rise to a considerable increase of weight.”

Salivation may be procured by the external application of mercurial preparations, the peculiar constitutional effects of cantharides (Spanish flies) on the urinary organs may occur from their external contact with the skin, and a multitude of such instances can be adduced to show the tendency to absorption through the pores of the skin.

From the above established facts, the risk in using poisonous substances for embalming purposes—more particularly solutions of arsenic—is greater than is generally realized. This deadly poison (arsenic) is so peculiarly diffusive and penetrating that it is even injurious to sleep in rooms papered with green wall-paper, the green coloring matter used in printing such colors on wall-paper being an arsenical preparation.

Contact of the naked skin with any arsenical solution is attended with risk in exact proportion to the extent and duration of such contact, the thickness of the skin, and some other modifications, as, for instance, this deadly poison (arsenic) will be absorbed more readily through the pores of the back of the hand than through the calloused palm, much more readily through the epithelial covering of the lips than other better protected parts of the body, and even if the Embalmer is careless of the consequences to himself from using such dangerous material for his work, he is in duty bound to take into consideration when using embalming preparations that the friends and relatives often take a parting kiss from the face of their dead after the application of such preparations, and he should use none that contain any such dangerous ingredients.

All such risks, both to the Embalmer himself and to all who come into contact in any manner with the dead, are entirely avoided when using the Excelsior Preservative. It is a perfect antidote, not only for septic poisoning from contact with infectious matter in handling dead bodies, but also a sure antidote to the dangerous effects arising from the use of any poisonous solutions that may be used for embalming purposes; and if for any reason such are used, or if there is any suspicion of danger of being inoculated with poisonous matter, I would urge for your own safety and protection that you freely use the Preservative, bathing your hands or any part that may be exposed to contact with the poison, as the free application of the Preservative will neutralize and destroy the poisonous matter and prevent any unpleasant or serious consequences.

The Preservative is not only perfectly harmless in its external contact with living flesh, but it is even remarkably curative in its effects when applied to chapped hands, sores, or even fresh cuts. This is, as a matter of course, outside of its legitimate use as an Embalming preparation, and I refer to it only as indicating the radical difference between the arsenical and other poisonous solutions (the so-called “fluids”) and the Excelsior Preservative, which last contains no such dangerous ingredients.

CHAPTER XVI.
Embalming Instruments.

Much can be accomplished in restoring and retaining the natural appearance and color of the exposed portions of a dead body, and decomposition can be retarded for a time by using the Preservative freely externally and without the aid of instruments, wetting clothes with it and applying to the face, neck, and hands to restore and retain their natural color, and also over the bowels where decomposition first sets in, which application will delay its progress for a time, as the Preservative is very penetrating, but a good set of Embalming instruments are almost indispensable for every undertaker to be possessed of, as there will often be cases where there is a necessity for cavity injection to hold the body a number of days for the arrival of distant friends, and occasionally for Arterial Embalming for shipment to long distances.

It would be out of place for us to advertise our Instruments in a work of this kind, and we would simply say that we invite correspondence in regard to Instruments desirable for use. We would prefer to supply our customers with a good set of Instruments at a nominal price to cover the cost of manufacture rather than to have them remain without them or be using inferior ones, as the best results in Embalming are attained only with the best tools which rule holds good in every kind of work.

We have on hand Instruments of every description for every kind of Embalming work, from sets consisting of those used only for partial embalming, up to complete sets in elegant Cabinets with every tool required for any purpose. Our syringe has a screw fitting turned on the suction end so that any of the tubes or the Gas-trocar can be fitted on and collections of fluid in the body pumped out with it.

All the tubes and the Gas-trocar are nickel plated and non-corrosive, and we would call especial attention to our improved Gas-trocar which is the most complete tool of its kind ever manufactured being superior to any other as it is so constructed that it will not clog.

Sets of Instruments will be sent to our customers on approval if desired.

CHAPTER XVII.
Caution to be used in Storing and Keeping the Preservative.

It is of the greatest importance that the Preservative be kept entirely free from mixture with any other substance, as, owing to the peculiar combination of the chemicals used in the process of its manufacture, an addition of even a small portion of any foreign substances, especially any of the Arsenical Solutions sometimes used for embalming purposes, will completely change its character and destroy some of its most valuable properties.

We call particular attention to this matter as we have more than once traced up the cause for a complaint of the quality of some particular shipment of the Preservative to the fact that the customer has had one or more kinds of “fluid” on hand and in some careless moment has emptied back some little left over, into the package containing our Preservative to its very great injury. Even keeping the Preservative in wood totally destroys its efficiency as an Embalming preparation and therefore it should never under contingency be kept in wooden packages. It should always be kept in the glass packages in which it is shipped, or in some other glass vessel.

Every package that is sent out is exactly like every other package in regard to the quality of the Preservative it contains, and its contents will never deteriorate in any length of time it may be kept providing that no other substance be added.