In the deceased's room, draw the shades, if this has not been done. Remove any jewelry from the deceased, except for the wedding ring, in the presence of the disintersted person and the assistant and surrender them. In a hospital or institution, obtain a written receipt or inventory for all valuables. Check for dentures and ask for them if they are not in sight.
Regardless of whether or not anyone else is in the room, the deceased should be handled at all times as though the members of the family were present. Spread the cot sheet over the entire bed. Draw down the bedclothing beneath this sheet so as to avoid exposure of the body. Wrap the body in the sheet and lift it carefully onto the cot. Cover the body with blankets or the cot cover in such a way that the from of the body is not clearly outlined.
Next, and soild linen is removed from the bed and folded if possible. Many funeral directors carry a large paper bag beneath the cot mattress to be used for holding soiled linen. The bed is remade as neatly as conditions permit and the furniture of the room is straightened.
The family members are moved to a room where they cannot watch the body being taken from the house. At this point the funeral director answers any final questions and informs the family that the deceased is now being removed from the home.
After assuring himself that everything is in order, the funeral director and his assistant leave the house with the deceased. The greatest of care should be taken in loading the body and driving away. It is certain that some member of the family, and the neighbors as well, will be critical observers of this procedure. As the car drives away, it should be turned at the first corner, regardless of whether or not this is the most direct route back to the funeral home. Under no circumstance should there be smoking permitted in the car during this trip back to the funeral home.
Chapter 4 Death
The Phenomenon Of Death
The greatest mystery of life, it has been said, is death. Here is a natural phenomenon which has or will affect all of the countless billions of persons, and plants and animals as well, who have ever lived. And it is a condition about which we know relatively little.
Physical death is something which must occur eventually to all living things, with the possible exeception of bacteria and protozoa. These tiny organisms never die of natural causes, for their system of reproduction consists of splitting to form two new cells from the original one. This form of reproduction insures perpetual life to the organism. In higher forms of life a limited physical immortality occurs as a result of the transmission of characteristics through the reproductive cells. Many of the body tissues also possess some measure of immortality if they can be kept under proper conditions. Such tissues, kept in a nutrient solution at a favorable temperature, will live and grow indefinitely. Theoretically, it is possible in this way to grow a chicken heart to the size of the world.
Death is obviously a very important subject to the embalmer, for it deals with the changes, both physical and chemical, which the body undergoes after life becomes extinct. To understand the scientific fundamentals of embalming; to make a correct pre-embalming analysis and case diagnosis; in order to determine the proper treatment, technique and procedure in the actual embalming operation, it is necessary that the embalmer have a complete knowledge of death and its accompanying changes.
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