=Plugging Orifices of the Body.=—The proper manner in which to plug the orifices of the body is to use a pledget of absorbent cotton dipped in your embalming fluid and forced into all the orifices, following this up with a pledget of dry absorbent cotton. In this the fluid disinfects the surface with which it comes in contact and the dry cotton prevents the outgoing of the germs from the body or the passage inward of bacteria. It must be understood that absorbent cotton filters out germs from the air, even though air passes through it, they become entangled in the meshes of the cotton and there remain. =Removal of Urine.=—As a rule, in the last throes of death, the bladder is emptied, but in some instances this is not done and then it becomes necessary for the embalmer to remove the urine. This may be done in two ways. Use the steel catheter, insert it in the bladder through the urethra, and draw off the urine, or use the trocar and insert it through the abdominal wall in the median line just above the pubic bone, directing the end of the trocar into the bladder which lies just below the pubic bone and draw off the urine. It is seldom necessary to inject the bladder with fluid, as after the urine has been removed, we find from general experience that it is well supplied with fluid from the arterial injection. In the male it is wise to tie a string about the penis just back of the head, or glans, while in the female it is best to plug the meatus of the urethra and the vagina with cotton. CHAPTER XVIII. THE REMOVAL OF BLOOD. =The Removal of Blood.=—In November 1882, Prof. J. H. Clarke and Dr. C. M. Lukens, while instructing a class in Philadelphia, in taking up the carotid artery, the internal jugular vein was injured and a flow of blood followed much to their dismay. This however turned out to be one of the greatest events that ever happened for the embalming profession, as it marked the beginning of the practice of the removal of blood from the body. There are some very important reasons why blood should be removed from the body. (1) There may be discolorations on the body, especially the face. This discoloration may be due to the presence of blood in the minute capillary system and other vessels which are near the surface skin. This discoloration may be due to the presence of the bile pigments in the blood, which would tend to give the body a yellowish hue. This discoloration may be due to the breaking up or disintegration of the blood corpuscles after death, which would tend to give the tissues of the body a light, pale, yellow color. Or this discoloration may be due to the presence of chromogenic bacteria, or color producing bacteria, in the blood, which might give to the tissues a characteristic green color.