The Fading Art of Preserving the Dead

Methods of preserving bodies goes back thousands of years, with famous examples of mummification dating back to ancient Egypt. While the mummification process was incredibly effective, the process bears little resemblance to modern American embalming.

Embalming today consists of draining bodies of fluids and refilling them with preservatives. Experienced embalmers scrub skin, suture cuts, clean teeth, and sew mouths closed so they can bring the illusion of life back to the body so that loved ones can say goodbye.

The funeral industry is not without criticism. A long time concern is that funeral homes take financial advantage of customers during their time of bereavement, with more modern concerns about the damage American funerals does to the environment. 

Embalming is largely becoming a thing of the past as preferences shift. More and more options have become available, such as becoming compost, being planted at the roots of saplings, or even being compressed into diamonds. In 2021, nearly 60% of Americans who passed away chose cremation. With this trend, embalmers are becoming more difficult to find. The dwindling group of professionals are increasingly becoming contractors who serve dozens of funeral home clients, navigating the fraught passage from life to death.

For more information see Oliver Whang “The Fading Art of Preserving the Dead” The New York Times, November 1, 2022.

Special thanks to Lewis Saret (Attorney, Washington, D.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.