Freezing the Skin.—When the body is subjected to a temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the moisture in the skin freezes, thereby removing it from its usual consideration, as the element that is responsible for the usual softness and flexibility of the skin.
In the cold months, bodies are sometimes left in cold rooms with the windows open. The embalmer did this in the past, thinking that subjecting the body to the influence of a cold atmosphere would simplify preservation.
From the standpoint of preservation alone, this theory is correct, but in accomplishing the above result the moisture of the skin may be frozen. The resulting color is light yellow. The texture of the skin is changed from soft to a slightly hardened condition.
Treatment.—Never allow the room temperature to approach the freezing point. Should the above treatment be disregarded, and the yellow color become present, have the room warmed, and the color will slowly disappear.
Feverish Conditions in the Body Before Death.—Fever is the name usually given to the rise of temperature that goes with inflammation. In severe inflammatory diseases, the tissues lose much of their moisture through the arrest of the saturating power of the blood stream and the disturbance of circulation. The skin contains a sub-normal amount of moisture when the embalmer reaches these cases, which may be further reduced by outward evaporation and the dehydrating power of the embalming fluid. Small brown spots resembling the fever blister in the living body may be present around the mouth.
Treatment.—Use half strength fluid for the first part of the injection, followed by normal fluid for the second, third and fourth parts. Apply water or a commercial skin or face solution while the injection is going on.
Absence of a Normal Amount of Moisture in the Skin of the Body.—The normal amount of moisture in the skin has been determined to be an amount equal to seventy-five per cent. of the weight of the skin. Any percentage less than seventy-five per cent. is considered subnormal. This condition can be expected in all fever cases, in anemics, and in old age.
Treatment.—When the skin appears rather dry, the injection of fluid should be half strength for the first and second parts, normal for the third and fourth. The skin of the exposed parts of the body should be dampened with an application of water or a commercial face or skin solution, while the injection is being made.
Greenish Tinge of Putrefaction.
—Putrefaction discolorations are those which are produced when putrefactive bacteria become active in the skin or subcutaneous tissue.