What Does an Embalmer Do?
An embalmer is someone who treats bodies so that they will resist decay. The vast majority of embalmers work in the funeral industry, preparing bodies for burial, but they can be employed in other industries as well. Embalmers receive varying levels of training, depending on where they practice, with many attending mortuary school to learn embalming practices, although they can also train in some community colleges and trade schools, and in some regions, they may learn by apprenticeship.
In the case of an embalmer who prepares people for burial, the embalmer may also be a funeral director, or may work exclusively as an embalmer. Funeral directors handle all aspects of a burial, making arrangements for disposition and working with the survivors of the deceased to address their needs and concerns. Embalmers specifically work with the body, and in a small funeral home, both tasks may be handled by the same person.
The embalmer stores the body under refrigeration, bringing it out when he or she is ready to perform the embalming. The embalming process starts with washing the body, after which embalming fluid is introduced into the body to preserve it. Embalming fluid is typically tinted to give the body a more life-like appearance, and it only preserves the body for several days; the more extensive embalming necessary to make a body resist decay in the long term would render it looking rather unpleasant. Modern funeral embalming is performed primarily as an aesthetic service, as embalming does not preserve the body in the long term or prevent the spread of disease.
Once the body is embalmed, the embalmer applies makeup, dresses the body, and fixes the hair. Embalmers perform a number of tasks which are designed to prevent seepage and sagging in the coffin so that the body will be aesthetically pleasing, and they can also perform restorative cosmetics on bodies which have been severely damaged. For example, an embalmer may fashion a replacement ear for someone who lost an ear in a car accident, and embalmers also repair visible wounds so that they will not be unsettling to view.
Some embalmers specialize in embalming bodies which are difficult to handle. Autopsied bodies require a special embalming technique, as do bodies which have been severely disfigured. Smaller funeral homes may send such bodies out to a more experienced embalmer, rather than maintaining a specialist on staff.
The embalming process is also used to prepare bodies and anatomical specimens for study in medical and veterinary schools. Medical embalmers use slightly different techniques which are focused on preventing decay, rather than preserving a life-like appearance for a funeral.
Written by S.E. Smith
