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 SubjectNunnamaker, Albert John
Science
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
Nunnamaker, Albert John
Embalming
_Treatment._—Use half strength fluid for the first part of the
injection, followed by normal fluid for the second, third and fourth
parts. Apply water or a commercial skin or face solution while the
injection is going on.
_Absence of a Normal Amount of Moisture in the Skin of the Body._—The
normal amount of moisture in the skin has been determined to be an
amount equal to seventy-five per cent. of the weight of the skin. Any
percentage less than seventy-five per cent. is considered subnormal.
This condition can be expected in all fever cases, in anemics, and in
old age.
_Treatment._—When the skin appears rather dry, the injection of fluid
should be half strength for the first and second parts, normal for
the third and fourth. The skin of the exposed parts of the body should
be dampened with an application of water or a commercial face or skin
solution, while the injection is being made.
=Greenish Tinge of Putrefaction.=—Putrefaction discolorations are those
which are produced when putrefactive bacteria become active in the skin
or subcutaneous tissue.
This discoloration appears generally about the second day, unless
preservative fluids have been applied to prevent it. It first begins in
the ileocaecal region or lower part of the abdomen. The skin covering
these parts assumes a brownish color which shades to yellow, yellowish
green, and finally a green color. This green discoloration will in a
few days spread all over the surface of the body.
Among the putrefactive bacteria is the bacillus fluorescens, a
chromogenic germ, which produces a greenish color when it becomes
active in the tissues. One of the first external evidences of
putrefaction is the production of a greenish color in the abdominal
wall. This, of course, could not occur when embalming had been done
with any degree of completeness. Should an insufficient circulation
be encountered when embalming a body, the part which does not receive
the fluid, being unprotected, may be affected by the color producing
germ mentioned above. The most likely to be affected by an insufficient
circulation will be located somewhere in the extremities of the
circulation, that is to say, in the skin. We can place the affected
part more definitely in the skin of the face, particularly the nose,
which has a rather poor circulation. This condition will not make
its presence known until three or four days after embalming has been
done, making it almost entirely absent in bodies embalmed in ordinary
practice. Should several days elapse between the time the body died
and embalming, allowing the discoloration to appear, the following
treatment would be advisable:
_Treatment._—Inject a very small portion of the following solution just
under the skin, using a hypodermic needle.
Alum 10 gr.
Corrosive Subl. 10 gr.
Zinc Chloride 5 gr.
Grain Alcohol 4 fl. oz.
Formaldehyde 2 fl. oz.
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