History of Embalming: and of Preparations in Anatomy, Pathology, and Natural History; Including an Account of a New Process for EmbalmingGannal, J.-N. (Jean-Nicolas)
History
History of Embalming: and of Preparations in Anatomy, Pathology, and Natural History; Including an Account of a New Process for Embalming
Gannal, J.-N. (Jean-Nicolas)
Anatomical specimens -- Collection and preservation; Embalming -- History; Mummies
Here it may be remarked that it required double the quantity of fatty
matter for this, than for a fresh subject, and that the most delicate
arterial net-work had been prepared by the injection.
These experiments, which lasted for half the month of May, satisfied me
that an injection of ten or twelve degrees of density, and immersion of
the body in a bath of the same liquid, will suffice for a preparation
destined for ordinary anatomical purposes, and will allow of dissection
after several months.
At the end of July, 1835, M. Orfila, placed at my disposition in one
of the grand pavilions of the practical school, all the utensils and
instruments that I might stand in need of; on the 7th of August, I
injected a subject with the liquid at 12 degrees, and afterwards
bathed it in the same liquid. The body, at the end of two days, began
to swell. Eight days after, it disengaged so large a portion of gas,
that I was obliged to withdraw it from the trough, at the bottom of
which it was no longer possible to retain it. Placed upon a table, its
decomposition appeared to be arrested, no more gas being disengaged,
but there escaped a great quantity of liquor coloured by the blood;
the subject, which had assumed a deep brown colour, became completely
dried. During all this time, no putrid odour was remarked; it was that
of smoked ham.
A second subject was injected with the same liquid and abandoned on
a table; it was decomposed at the end of five days; but it must be
remarked that the atmospherical temperature varied from twenty to
thirty degrees.
On the 8th of August, a subject was injected with the liquid at thirty
degrees of density, which was made necessary by the elevation of the
temperature up to fifty degrees. This corpse was well preserved
and was dissected about the end of December.
These various experiments convinced me that the saline solutions
employed with success during the winter, were insufficient for the
operations during summer; that is to say, at a temperature above
fifteen degrees.
The success which I obtained by the injection of a more concentrated
liquid, indicated the route I was to follow.
I have already stated that the alum was decomposed, that the animal
matter, the geline, combined with the alumine, and that the liberated
sulphuric acid produced the alteration of the tissues. It was then
indispensable to seek an aluminous salt, containing more of the base
and a less powerful acid.
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