The embalmer ought to furnish himself with silk ribands, of a black, violet, or white colour, according to the subject which he has to embalm, in order to tie the sheet by the two extremities, as well as a quarter of taffeta of one of the said colours to envelope the box containing the heart; further, five fathoms of cord to tie the corpse enveloped in cere-cloth. A coffin of lead in a coffin of wood. A barrel for the intestines. Bandages soaked in the liniment to bandage the body.
The following powder, as well as those which come after, are models which will serve according to the prudence of the embalmer for the cavities, for the parts sacrificed, and to form a crust around the body, or to be mixed with the adhesive plaster.
1.—Balsamic Powder.
| ℞. | Angelica root, calamus, Florentine iris, flag, imperatoria, carolina, cypress, ginger, enula-campana, aristolochia, gentiana, valeriana, rosewood, spicknard, colocynth, a.a. | 1/2 ℔. |
| Anis-seed, fennel, cumin, coriander, pepper (white, black, and long,), cardomine, cypress, gall-nuts, citron-bark, oranges, juniper-wood, laurel, chamomile flowers, melilot, centaury, lavender, roses, a.a. | 1 ℔. | |
| Rhue leaves, absynth, mint, calamint, savin, thyme, marjory, balm, balmgentle, rosemary, sage, horehound, pennyroyal, origan, hyssop, laurel, myrtle, a.a. | 2 ℔. | |
| Tan passed through a seive, | 4 ℔. | |
| Canella, styrax, nutmeg, aloes, myrrh, benzoin, cloves, dittany, a.a. | 4 ℥. |
Reduce to a powder those which ought to be powdered, and then strain them through a seive; but for the canella, and others of that class, they must be beaten and employed separately.
Baltazar Timaeus added salt and incense to his powder.
2.—Another Powder.
| ℞. | Select myrrh, | 4 ℔. |
| Bastard saffron, styrax, calamite, cloves, a.a. | 2 ℔. | |
| Cabalin aloes, | 5 ℔. | |
| Dried rosemary leaves, | 2 ℔. | |
| Incense, | 1 ℔. | |
| Laurel leaves, red roses, a.a. | 1/2 ℔. |