At the request of the families, the embalmer takes care of the deceased, and prepares them for their last trip. How is his treatment carried out?

She exercises a profession which, although it is little known, is nonetheless precious. Claire Sarazin is an embalmer. At the request of the families, she takes care of the deceased, and prepares them for their last trip. His work, like that of the 700 thanatopracteurs active in France, allows families and loved ones “to begin their mourning process more easily, by watching them more serenely. ” 

History of the embalming profession

Whoever says “mummy” immediately thinks of those bodies wrapped in linen strips in ancient Egypt. It is because they believed in another life in the land of the Gods that the Egyptians prepared their dead. So that they have a “good” reincarnation. Many other peoples – the Incas, the Aztecs – have also mummified their dead.

In France, the pharmacist, chemist and inventor Jean-Nicolas Gannal filed a patent in 1837. What will become the “Gannal process” aims to preserve tissues and bodies with the injection of a solution of alumina sulfate into the carotid artery. He is the founding father of modern embalming. But it was not until the 1960s that embalming, or chemical embalming, began to emerge from the shadows. The practice has gradually become more democratic. In 2016, INSEE noted that out of the 581.073 deaths per year in France, more than 45% of the deceased had undergone embalming treatment.

Injection of the product with formaldehyde

After making sure that the deceased was indeed dead (no pulse, pupils no longer reacting to light…), the embalmer undresses him in order to be able to clean him with a disinfectant solution. He then injects into the body – through the carotid or femoral artery – a formaldehyde-based product. Enough to protect the body, temporarily, from natural decomposition.

Drainage of organic waste

At the same time, blood, organic waste and body gases are drained. They will then be cremated. The skin can be smeared with a cream to slow down its dehydration. “Our work helps prevent changes from taking place in the days leading up to the funeral,” insists Claire Sarazin. Disinfection of the body also makes it possible to significantly reduce the health risks for the relatives who will take care of the deceased.

Restoration”

When the face or the body are very damaged (following a violent death, an accident, an organ donation…), we speak of “restoration”. A work of goldsmith, because the embalmer will do everything possible to restore the deceased to his appearance before the accident. He can thus fill in missing flesh with wax or silicone, or suture incisions following an autopsy. If the deceased wears a battery-powered prosthesis (such as a pacemaker), the embalmer removes it. This withdrawal is compulsory.

Dressing the deceased

Once these conservation treatments have been carried out, the professional dresses the deceased with the clothes chosen by his relatives, the headdress, the make-up. The idea is to restore a natural color to the complexion of the person. “Our goal is to give them a peaceful air, as if they were sleeping. »Scented powders can be applied to the body to neutralize bad odors. A classic treatment lasts on average 1h to 1h30 (much more during a restoration). “The faster we intervene, the better. But there is no legal deadline for the intervention of an embalmer. “

“Today, they often take place in funeral homes or in hospital morgues. »They can also be carried out at the home of the deceased, only if the death occurred at home. “It is being done less than before. Because since 2018, the legislation is much more restrictive. “

Treatments must, for example, be carried out within 36 hours (which can be extended by 12 hours in the event of special circumstances), the room must have a minimum surface area, etc.

All families who want it. The embalmer is a sub-contractor of funeral directors, which must offer his services to families. But this is not an obligation in France. “Only some airlines and some countries require it, if the body is to be repatriated. “When there is a risk of infection – as is the case with Covid 19, this care cannot be provided. 

The average cost of conservation care is € 400. They are to be paid in addition to other costs to the funeral director, of which the embalmer is a subcontractor.

The Ministry of Health recalls on its website that there are other ways of preserving a body, such as the refrigerated cell, which allows “to keep the body at a temperature between 5 and 7 degrees in order to limit the proliferation of bacterial flora ”, or dry ice, which consists“ of regularly placing dry ice under and around the deceased to preserve the body. But their effectiveness is limited.