This discoloration appears generally about the second day, unless preservative fluids have been applied to prevent it. It first begins in the ileocaecal region or lower part of the abdomen. The skin covering these parts assumes a brownish color which shades to yellow, yellowish green, and finally a green color. This green discoloration will in a few days spread all over the surface of the body.
Among the putrefactive bacteria is the bacillus fluorescens, a chromogenic germ, which produces a greenish color when it becomes active in the tissues. One of the first external evidences of putrefaction is the production of a greenish color in the abdominal wall. This, of course, could not occur when embalming had been done with any degree of completeness. Should an insufficient circulation be encountered when embalming a body, the part which does not receive the fluid, being unprotected, may be affected by the color producing germ mentioned above. The most likely to be affected by an insufficient circulation will be located somewhere in the extremities of the circulation, that is to say, in the skin. We can place the affected part more definitely in the skin of the face, particularly the nose, which has a rather poor circulation. This condition will not make its presence known until three or four days after embalming has been done, making it almost entirely absent in bodies embalmed in ordinary practice. Should several days elapse between the time the body died and embalming, allowing the discoloration to appear, the following treatment would be advisable:
Treatment.—Inject a very small portion of the following solution just under the skin, using a hypodermic needle.
| Alum | 10 | gr. |
| Corrosive Subl. | 10 | gr. |
| Zinc Chloride | 5 | gr. |
| Grain Alcohol | 4 | fl. oz. |
| Formaldehyde | 2 | fl. oz. |
Just a small portion of the above solution is all that will be necessary, working it under the skin with the finger tip, so as to avoid destroying the features by swelling the tissues.
This treatment being a chemical one, it is necessarily slow in its action of bleaching the green color. Should haste be necessary, inject a very small quantity of embalming fluid to arrest the putrefactive process and then cover the spot with theatrical grease of the proper color to match the surrounding skin.
Chemical Action.
—Chemical action is any discoloration of the skin or tissues of the body which may be caused by the action of opposing chemicals. There is only one known discoloration occurring in the body after death as a result of the presence of a chemical in the body, which, when coming in contact with formaldehyde, produces a discoloration. This particular discoloration, greenish in color, is the result of the work of the drug methylene blue in contact with formaldehyde.
Often, in cases of chronic malaria, or diseases of the liver, or again as a general antiseptic, methylene blue will be administered by the attending physician, and you should learn this fact beforehand, for if methylene blue has been administered it is advisable not to use a formaldehyde fluid. There is a chemical action set up between the formaldehyde and the methylene blue, which gives the tissues a greenish color, which is quite objectionable.
In this case you would use some fluid which does not contain formaldehyde, benzoate of soda, or borax, or peroxide solution should be used.