Embalming

Embalming. . Modern embalming really got its start during the Civil War period. Dr. Thomas Holmes received a commission as a Captain in the Army Medical Corps and was assigned to Washington, D. C. where he embalmed many army officers killed in battle. President Lincoln took great interest in embalming and directed the Quartermaster Corps to utilize embalming to allow the return of Union dead to their homes for proper burial. , After the Civil War, embalming fell into disuse because of lack of demand and few to do the procedure. The undertakers of the day limited their efforts to ice to ward off decomposition long enough to have a funeral. , By the turn of the century, wooden coffins were being made to order by the local carpenter or cabinet maker. A few even made coffins beforehand but met criticism by the public for their boldness. The cabinet maker rarely became involved in any aspect of the funeral other than providing the coffin. Even the conveyance of the deceased was done by someone else, the livery man. With the passing of time, these men became more involved in providing other services and advice to those planning the funeral. , Eventually the person who would undertake to manage all funeral details and provide funeral merchandise became known as the undertaker. He eventually obtained and provided all the necessary items for the funeral including the hearse, coffin, door badges, etc. Once it became possible for the undertaker to provide embalming services, the haste was taken out of the burial process and people were given ample time to arrange and prepare for the funeral. , The first embalming preparations were arsenic solutions that were rapidly replaced when formaldehyde became available. Representatives for embalming fluid companies would travel the country presenting one or two day classes of instruction in the use of the product. For attending these classes and purchasing a quantity of fluid, an undertaker received a certificate as an embalmer. It wasn't until the 1930's that state licensing became almost universal. While this education seems wholly inadequate, it should be remembered that physicians and dentists of the day did not have much education either prior to practicing their profession.