Anatomy and Embalming / A Treatise on the Science and Art of Embalming, the Latest and Most Successful Methods of Treatment and the General Anatomy Relating to this Subject

by Albert John Nunnamaker; Charles Otto Dhonau

CHAPTER XVIII. THE REMOVAL OF BLOOD.

The Removal of Blood.

—In November 1882, Prof. J. H. Clarke and Dr. C. M. Lukens, while instructing a class in Philadelphia, in taking up the carotid artery, the internal jugular vein was injured and a flow of blood followed much to their dismay. This however turned out to be one of the greatest events that ever happened for the embalming profession, as it marked the beginning of the practice of the removal of blood from the body.

There are some very important reasons why blood should be removed from the body.

(1) There may be discolorations on the body, especially the face. This discoloration may be due to the presence of blood in the minute capillary system and other vessels which are near the surface skin. This discoloration may be due to the presence of the bile pigments in the blood, which would tend to give the body a yellowish hue. This discoloration may be due to the breaking up or disintegration of the blood corpuscles after death, which would tend to give the tissues of the body a light, pale, yellow color. Or this discoloration may be due to the presence of chromogenic bacteria, or color producing bacteria, in the blood, which might give to the tissues a characteristic green color.

(2) There may be blood in the arterial system after death, which certainly will have to be removed or else it may be pushed into the tissues of the face during the injection of the fluid and cause a discoloration. Besides if the arteries are congested with blood, this will have to be removed to make room for the embalming fluid, so that it will reach the capillaries and the tissues of the body.

(3) There may be the formation of tissue gas, and there is no doubt but that the removal of blood will greatly facilitate in the treatment, for without the blood, the fluid will have more chance to act on the parts containing the gas. This gas may be in the blood vessel itself, and the removal of that blood then will relieve the gas and the pressure exerted by the gas, which will aid in the injection of the fluid.

(4) To prevent a hasty decomposition. It may be that our subject is very heavy and fleshy which will mean that there is more tissue to be preserved and necessarily more fluid will have to be used. To make room for this increased amount of fluid, blood should be removed.

It may be that the body is in a hydropic condition. The tissues and the blood vessels will be filled with water. This will mean a hasty decomposition. The watery blood should be drawn from the blood vessels in order to make room for more fluid than ordinarily.

It may be that the body has died of a fever, which will also mean a hasty decomposition. This will mean that the blood will soon coagulate after death, and therefore the sooner it is removed, the better for the general cosmetic effect.