History of Embalming / and of Preparations in Anatomy, Pathology, and Natural History; Including an Account of a New Process for Embalming

by J.-N. Gannal

Penicher, who has furnished these different formulæ, will trace in the following pages the means of applying them.

There are many methods of embalming. The first, which is derived from the sacred scriptures, did not prevent the body from soon undergoing a change, since they neglected to remove the viscera, which cause corruption.

The second is that in which they confined their operations to emptying and cleaning the cavities which contain the intestines, the brain, and other noble parts, filling them afterwards with powdered aromatics, with tow and cotton.

The most common, and the most perfect which was practised, is the third; which consists in making incisions in all parts of the body, as we shall treat of further in the sequel.

We may add here a fourth mode, which regards only thin and fleshless bodies; it requires that the fat and flesh be removed, so that the skin and bones only remain. This method was not unknown to the Egyptians; and I have several times practised it, but the operation is laborious, and requires a skilful surgeon.

And finally, there is a last method of embalming the body, which is performed by making small openings in several parts of the body, under the armpits, the groins, and the anus, according to the ancient usage of the Egyptians. In order to commence this important operation, it is necessary, in the first place, that the surgeon who has the honour to be employed to embalm a king or some sovereign prince, under the orders of his first physician, in the presence of the crown officers, makes with a bistoury several gashes in the soles of the feet, in order to prove, by this operation, that the subject whose body he is about to open is really dead; which is a much more certain method than the unctions formerly used in similar cases, to recall the animal spirits, which they suspected of being only stupified. He will afterwards make a long incision, from the superior part of the sternum, to facilitate the examination of the contents of the chest, and to investigate the cause of disease and death, in order that a faithful written report may be made in concert with the physicians and surgeons of the king. All the parts contained in this cavity must be removed; he will afterwards descend to the lower belly and examine all their contents, which he will remove for that purpose, taking away every thing disposed to corruption. The parts which ought to be removed, are, among others, the throat, comprehending the trachea and œsophagus, the tongue, the eyes, the lungs, the heart, which will be divested of its pericardium, to be embalmed separately, as in ordinary cases; the stomach, the liver, the spleen, the kidneys, the intestines, the brain, the membranes, the fat, the blood, the serum, the sponges, and other matters which have served during the operation; put all these things in a barrel, to be carried to the place of destination. I know that some authors recommend the extirpation of the sexual organs of both sexes; but, besides that this would be to disfigure the body of a man, these parts may be preserved as well as others, and we owe respect to the instruments which have given us being. The surgeon having emptied these cavities, ought to work at the head, of which he will saw the cranium in the same manner as for anatomical demonstrations; and after he shall have examined and taken out the brain, the apothecary must carefully wash the cavity with aromatic wine and alcohol, and then fill it with the powder he will have prepared, and with cotton and tow soaked in some fluid balsam, in such a manner that there will be several layers of these stoupes and powder applied one above the other; after which replace the bones of the cranium and sew up the skin. He will then rub the head all over with one of the liquid balms, and bathe the face frequently with the same; envelope the head in a deep cap, which must be waxed; and after having insinuated into the nose, the mouth, the orbits of the eyes, and into the ears, cotton, soaked in liquid balm, the oils of nutmeg and cloves, he will labour at the abdomen, which must be washed in the same aromatic wine and alcohol, and rubbed with some of the aforesaid balms, and, finally, stuffed abundantly with powder and tow, until all these matters, distributed one above the other, will form the natural size and appearance of the abdomen, which must be sown up. The surgeon will take care that sections be made in the veins and arteries, in order to divest them of blood and humidity, which will be observed regarding the arms, thighs, legs, feet, heels, and other parts, as the back, shoulders, and buttocks, turning the corpse for this purpose, face towards the table; in these thick and fleshy places, the incisions must be long, deep, and numerous, penetrating even to the bone; and when the large vessels have been opened and purged of their blood, the pharmacien will fill all these spaces with the powder, and then sew them up with a needle and thread, after having sprinkled and bathed them in aromatic wine and alcohol; for it is necessary to take care and foment incessantly these parts; absorb from them, if possible, all humidity, and dry them with a sponge, previous to rubbing them with liquid balm, or one of the liniments, and fill them with the stoupes and said powders. Finally, the whole must be sowed up very neatly, so that the body may not be disfigured; for the same reason the face ought not to be incised, and we ought to endeavour so to preserve the features that they may be easily recognised, as I have recently witnessed on the opening of the coffin of a bishop, who was embalmed more than fifty years ago, and whose countenance was not in the least disfigured. For this reason, the artist will make use of fine powders, of aloes, myrrh, and others; as regards the body, he will rub and anoint it with the liniment which he will have prepared, adding thereto the powder, which he will make into a paste. And it is necessary to remark, that in proportion as he finishes the embalming of each part, the surgeon ought to bandage it with bandages of linen soaked in the liniment, so that they will resemble a species of corset, and in form of the letter x; let them make several convolutions one upon the other, to keep the parts of the body compact, and prevent the aromatics escaping from the cavities filled with them; these bandages should commence with the neck and finish with the feet and hands; they must be long and broad for the body, thighs, legs, and arms, but narrow and short for the fingers. This done, put on the chemise, washed as already recommended; ornament the subject with the exterior marks of dignity which were possessed during life time, and wrap it in a linen cloth soaked in liniment, which will serve as an adhesive plaster, which must be tied by the two extremities with a riband; above which, envelope it with the cere-cloth, which should be very closely bound with a cord. Finally, deposit the body in the coffin, the intervals of which must be filled with what remains of the powder, if there be any, or with parcels of dried aromatic herbs; close it and solder it with the utmost exactitude. Place on the outside a plate of copper, or some other durable metal, upon which has been engraved some appropriate inscription, to serve as a memento to posterity. The coffin must be placed in another of wood, which may be covered, if desirable, with a mortuary cloth.

This work being accomplished, we next come to the heart, which, as I have already stated, is separately embalmed. Supposing, then, that it has been removed from its place, divested of its pericardium, and both its ventricles opened, frequently washed with spirits of wine, and well cleaned of clotted blood, and of all other impurities that may be attached to it, and having allowed it to soak during the preceding operations in spirits of wine, or in distilled oil of turpentine, the apothecary now takes this viscera thus prepared; he fills the ventricles with powdered aloes, myrrh, benzoin, and styrax; he may even rub it with oil, or essence of nutmeg, cloves, and canella, as also with the tinctures of ambergris, musk, and civet; he will then arrange it in perfumed cotton, so as to make it contain the powders, which, with the oils, will form a paste, and he will place it in a little sack of cere-cloth, perfumed with some of the above named essences, with which also he will rub the box in which it is to be enclosed, both internally and externally, solder it carefully and envelope it in taffeta of a certain colour, which must be equally soaked and rubbed with essences or tinctures, and tied with ribands of the same colour; the violet colour is the most appropriate for ecclesiastics.

I remember having embalmed the heart of an Abbé of quality who had led an exemplary life: the odour which it exhaled was so sweet and agreeable, that it perfumed for several months the choir of the convent des Dames Religieuses, where it was deposited.

The body and the heart being thus embalmed, it only remains to speak of the viscera, the lungs, and the brain, &c.

Blancardus teaches us the method of embalming separately all these parts; but, for myself, I do not attempt it; when they are embalmed, and it is desired to place them in a barrel in this state, it is still requisite to have recourse to spirits of wine, of the best quality; our brandy and aromatic wines are not strong enough. In order the more easily to clean these viscera, they must be opened lengthwise, incisions must be made in the lungs, the spleen, the uterus, and the other contents of the cavities; cleaned of blood, serosity, and other foreign matter, which would cause them to putrefy in a little time; then washed with strong spirits of wine, having been previously washed in other liquors, and then arranged in a barrel, so that the powder first covers the bottom, placing a portion of the viscera on this first layer, and afterwards a second bed of powder; and continue thus to place the viscera and the powders alternatively, and by layers, until the barrel be nearly full, taking care that the last layer consists of this prepared powder, which must not be spared on this occasion. This barrel, which ought to be made of lead, should be placed in a second of wood, which must be accurately headed and pitched. (One wooden barrel only, was used for Henry III., King of France.)