Leo Baekeland, used a phenol formaldehyde resin to invent Bakelite, a hard moldable plastic that is generally regarded as the first synthetic polymeric material. The first commercial-grade particleboard was produced at a factory in Bremen, Germany in the s and launched a revolution in the construction and furniture industries.
Commercial applications for formaldehyde continue to grow. In , over 3. History of Formaldehyde. The History of Formaldehyde Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring organic compound composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
About Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov. August Wilhelm von Hofmann. Commercial Production of Formaldehyde. Cookies To make this site work properly, we sometimes place small data files called cookies on your device. Most big websites do this too. Embalming is a process that has been practiced all over the world, in different ways throughout much of history.
One of the most famous, early examples of embalming took place in Egypt. As early as the First Dynasty BC , specialized priests were in charge of embalming and mummification. These processes involved removing organs, drying the body, and covering it in a chemical compound called natron. The Ancient Egyptians believed that this process of preservation was necessary for the dead to pass on into the afterlife.
The use of chemical injections to preserve bodies was first made possible in the 17th century by William Harvey, an English physician who was the first to study the circulatory system in detail. The Scottish surgeon William Hunter was the first to apply this knowledge to embalming techniques, writing a report on the appropriate methods for embalming in order to preserve bodies for burial.
Richard Burr, a prominent embalmer during the Civil War. Indeed, demand for embalming grew during this period, mostly for sentimental and practical reasons. The families of soldiers who died in battle in far-off locations wanted to see their loved ones and have the chance to display their body for others to pay their respects.
Another motive behind embalming at this time was to prevent the spread of disease, while allowing time to properly prepare the body for burial the belief that dead bodies can spread disease was later debunked by science. Until the early 20th century, arsenic was usually used as an embalming fluid, until it was discovered that less toxic chemicals could be used. In , the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann discovered formaldehyde and its power to preserve.
Embalming today in the West involves a number of key steps. First, the deceased is placed on the mortuary table with the head elevated by a head block. The embalmer then confirms that the deceased is dead by checking for signs of death, such as lividity, clouded corneas, and rigor mortis. The body is then thoroughly washed using disinfectant and germicidal solutions.
The eyes are kept shut using small caps placed on the eyes below the eyelids. The mouth may also have to be kept shut using a suture. A photograph of the deceased is typically used as a reference point during this process. There are four key steps during the actual embalming process. The first step is called arterial embalming.
This involves the injection of embalming chemicals into the blood vessels. Blood and other fluids are displaced by this injection and are expelled from the right jugular vein. During this part of the process, the embalmer makes a small incision just above the navel and pushes a surgical instrument called a trocar into the chest and stomach cavities. This punctures the hollow organs, and allows their liquid contents to be drained.
These cavities are then filled with chemicals that contain formaldehyde. The third step is called h ypodermic embalming. This is a supplemental method that is used as needed, depending on the individual body. A needle is used to treat areas where preserving fluid was not successfully distributed in the body during the main arterial injection.
So we inject the abdominal area with a trocar , which is like a large syringe. The fluid we use in the trocar is very strong and, for the most part, is able to preserve the entire abdomen and chest. The chemical formaldehyde is used to preserve bodies. What does it do exactly?
You could say it tears apart the constructs of your tissue. The embalming fluid that we use is a conglomeration of a bunch of different things. It has the formaldehyde, but it also has some disinfectants, so not only does it render the tissue unable to be fed on by bacteria, it also kills the bacteria itself.
What about formalin, the solution given to the Russian patient? Formalin is formaldehyde dissolved in water. For context, we use two types of fluid for embalming.
One is arterial and one is for the cavities or the abdomen. The arterial fluid we use at our funeral home is about 30 percent formaldehyde, and we mix that in with water and that together creates the embalming fluid. The cavity fluid is about 20 percent formaldehyde. If a teaspoon gets spilled on the floor, that whole section of the funeral home will stink and cause a burning sensation. Formalin is double that. The heart probably pumped the formation through the arterial system, and so it would have spread all throughout her body.
I can only imagine that it would have felt like a burning sensation. In general, how long does embalming take? And how do you know when the process is finished? What do you check for? As I mentioned before, the embalming fluid is a conglomeration of different things, and one of them is a coloring agent. You can make the skin darker or lighter or whatever you want.
Speaking of harsh chemicals, do embalmers worry about being exposed to them? There has to be a certain amount of airflow, fans, and so on. Of course, no embalmer likes it when somebody spills some cavity fluid. People, understandably, fear being buried alive. You have heart monitors, oxygen monitors, and so on. But a lot of people are choosing to die at home under hospice care, and that changes things.
But always, I worry in the back of my mind. That would be incredibly traumatic. How common is embalming? What percentage of dead bodies are embalmed?
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