Thiel embalming, anyone?
Professor Walther Thiel, an Austrian, developed an embalming process for medical cadavers. His process requires much less formaldehyde than conventional embalming fluids and, also, produces a much more ‘lifelike’ body with none of the hardness and stiffness associated with conventional embalming. Medical people are very keen on it — those who know about it. It’s […]
Dying to achieve a lifelike appearance
A lawsuit by a New Jersey mortician stricken with leukemia is casting a spotlight on embalming, a standard practice in the funeral industry. William Moore, 38 claims his illness was caused by exposure to formaldehyde, an ingredient in embalming fluid. He is suing his workplace and several manufacturers of embalming chemicals. Moore was diagnosed with acute […]
Grievers hoodwinked, run amok and bamboozled by their undertakers
In the Bahamas some people are worried about their unregulated funeral industry, just as some British people are worried about their own unregulated funeral industry: “Have the Bahamian people been hoodwinked, run amok, bamboozled, by persons purporting to be funeral service practitioners who are (actually) charlatans? Charlatans are impostors. Have we been hoodwinked, run amok, […]
The vital importance of being embalmed
“Contrary to popular belief, embalming a body is not required by law. However, every funeral home requires it for an open casket service. Otherwise, there will be odors and the body may look grotesque for viewing, which affects a funeral home’s reputation.“ Source
Death kills?
Posted by Richard Rawlinson Back in the day, it was a given of the natural order that the decomposition of our remains made us part of the food chain. In the last few decades, the negative environmental impact of burial and cremation has become an ethical issue. Although there’s increasing scepticism towards scientific claims about […]
Habeas corpse
An email flies in from a consumer advocacy org in the US. It’s about a British funeral consumer, let’s call him Jim, who has asked them for help. Jim has been told by his funeral director that there will be no funeral until he pays most of the bill upfront. Jim can manage much of […]
Top tips for funeral shoppers
Josh Slocum, Executive Director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance in the USA, is a major hero to all who toil at the GFG-Batesville Tower. Here he is talking on the telly about funeral pricing and home funerals. It’s interesting to note the similarities with the British funeral industry, in particular consumers’ disapproval of the marking […]
Embalmer of the day
“I had to rebuild it in nine hours. I used everything: duct tape, masking tape, tissue builder, wound filler … I put, like, coat hangers and caulk in there and put him into a little baby outfit … He looked awesome.” US embalmer Troy Schoeller on reconstructing the body of a baby. More on this story […]
Your caring undertaker knows best
From the current price list of a ‘family owned’ UK funeral director: “As the natural processes of decomposition begins immediately after death, any clients wishing to visit their deceased relative or friend in the Private Chapel of Rest must agree to the necessary preservation treatment being provided”. Discuss
Publishing event of the year!
The Natural Death Handbook, Fifth Edition A thoroughly updated and revised edition of the Natural Death Centre‘s celebrated handbook. Now presented alongside a new collection of essays on death, dying and funeral practices by doctors, historians, authors, poets, theologians and artists including Richard Barnett, David Jay Brown, Dr Sheila Cassidy, Charles Cowling, Bill Drummond, Stephen Grasso, […]
