Mortuary Science Essay

Mortuary Science

How would you like to be wrist deep in human body parts? Mortuary science allows people to accomplish just that. Eventually, everyone will be on that silver table, so wouldn’t you like to know what happens to your body in the morgue? Mortuary science is the study of dead bodies through the work of human remains. Those who study it usually become morticians or funeral directors. Ultimately this program teaches students everything about the funeral business and funeral services. It provides them the capability to give comfort and arrangements to the bereaved during a very painful time in their lives. It is not about the gruesome and horrifying aspects of death, it’s an important service for both the living and the dead. It’s important for the grieving to have proper closure to their loved one. Think about it, if there were no funeral directors, what would people do with their dead? Mortuary science is not a new concept and can be traced back to ancient times (“Mortuary Science”).
The first written record of mortuary science and funeral directing comes from the Ancient Egyptians who embalmed their deceased. Mummifications are nearly the same, if not better than, current embalming procedures. Egyptians believed that embalming their dead was needed to enter the afterlife, and therefore was used as a religious practice. The total mummification process took an average of seventy days. The body was basically emptied and filled with sodium bicarbonate and resin. It was then left for a couple of days, and then filled with cloth, sawdust, and herbs, wrapped and then placed in a coffin (“Embalming”).
American embalming can first be seen during the Civil War to keep the bodies of dead soldiers from decomposing while being sent back home. A mixture of arsenic and water was used, as it killed all dangerous bacteria and was a lot quicker than the Egyptian process of embalming. This method was later withdrawn due to the health risks to the morticians from...