Ask a Mortician- Is Embalming Dangerous?!
Added 2015-09-21 23:58:56 +0000 UTCFinally a new episode– a more traditional Ask a Mortician. I have episode bloopers coming for you dear patrons as well! (Coming to your inbox, not like, coming for you under your bed).
If you're in LA, Portland, the Bay Area, Philly, or NYC, I'm going to be doing some paperback tour stops for the new softcover book, come say hello: http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/smoke-gets-eyes
Thank you, as always my lovelies. xx Caitlin
Comments
I'm in a class right now about death and dying in the United States and I'm actually going to be using part of this video in my presentation about body disposition tomorrow! I've basically binge watched all your videos and they have helped immensely in formulating what I wanted to talk about. Love your wit and I'm sure my class will too. <3
Aaron Pelchat
2015-11-12 01:48:16 +0000 UTCGreat video; thanks. Just yesterday I was reading a book my father gave me, "Wooden Ships and Iron Men", about the merchant sailing ships of the 19th Cent. from what is now eastern Canada. One story about the legendary Captain George McKenzie tells how, when his brother John died on passage, he had the body preserved in rum for the rest of the voyage home. I think Admiral Nelson's corpse was similarly preserved in brandy after Trafalgar. Seems to me that ethanol could be a much safer alternative to formaldehyde.
David Olie
2015-09-28 02:13:12 +0000 UTCWhat an immense relief to know that there *are* green options for embalming. The burial laws in my state haven't been updated since the Civil War (one item states that bodies MUST be embalmed within 48 hours of death. What), and so I've been gearing up for a fight for when the need arises. Time to do some more research, but with a tiny bit less stress. :) Thank you for that, Caitlin.
S. J. Tucker
2015-09-26 14:57:20 +0000 UTCCould you say more about being a harlot? Seriously, though, I did not realize that the embalming process could be so dangerous to the mortician. Why do you think there hasn't been a stronger and more public push for safer embalming coumpounds?
Barry Lindeman
2015-09-25 19:06:55 +0000 UTCI'm sorry that happened to you! It is definitely not illegal, how awful. There are some unsavory things about cremation's environmental impact (the carbon and mercury emissions for instance) but I'm not sure if embalming would make that worse, or if everything would burn up so quickly it wouldn't matter.
Caitlin Doughty
2015-09-23 02:43:54 +0000 UTCVery good, that you are mentioning the health issues towards embalmers and environment. I can't believe, that they are still using formaldehyde for the embalming process, that is so 20 th century. But since you got this topic, what about historical embalming processes, like in ancient egypt? Topic for another episode?
Hans Helsravn
2015-09-22 03:56:21 +0000 UTCIs there a danger when you burn a body that has been embalmed? I am just curious because when my Grandma died, the funeral home lied and said it was illegal in Maryland to cremate a body without first embalming it. I later did research and in no state (at least 3 years ago) is/was it illegal to cremate a body that hasn't been embalmed first.
Michelle Sunda
2015-09-22 00:24:25 +0000 UTC
