Mayer Robert - Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice, Fifth Edition

Embalming: History, Theory and Practice is a product of the American Board of Funeral Service Educationpresently located in St. Joseph, Missouri. This organization is the accrediting agency for the colleges of mortuary science in the United Statescurrently there are 57 institutions. Working committees of the ABFSE develop and keep current the basic core curricula. ABFSE Executive Directors Dr. Gordon Bigelow, Dr. George Connick and Dr. Michael Smith have all overseen the development and production of this text. Dr. Gretchen L. Warner, present ABFSE Executive Director, has seen this edition through the final year of preparation and publication.

During the past 50 years a number of individuals have contributed and encouraged my professional career. The dedication of this book lists some of the most influential. During the preparation of this edition of Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice some of those who have encouraged me and in their own way made additions to these printed pages include: Peter J. Ball of High Bentham in the U.K., and David G. Hicks of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and Eugene C. Ogrodnik of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. In particular I am grateful for the preparation skills of David G. Williams, Melissa Johnson, and William Smith, embalmers extraordinaire.

Several organizations have made generous contributions to this text through their continuing education programsThe Dodge Sunshine Seminars (over 50 years in existence); Ohio Embalmers Association (80 years of programming); British Institute of Embalmers and the American Society of Embalmers. Their speakers have kept the embalmer up-to-date on all aspects of embalming topics and developments. They have been most valuable to this author.

This project began with the present primary author/editor in 1987, after being approached by Glenn G. McMillen, a former mortuary school classmate (1962) and past president of the National Funeral Directors Association. The first edition was published in 1990 by Appleton & Lange. Seed moneys and underwriting for the first edition was made possible by The Heritage Club of the National Funeral Directors Association. The National Funeral Directors Association has continued to support this project during the past 22 years.

I am most proud of the Selected Readings portion of this text. In this edition There are 20 in depth articles on a number of subjects relative to embalming and restorative art. Four recent articles are printed in this text for the first time.

The third edition of this text, published in 2000 by McGraw-Hill, combined for the first time in any textbook the subjects of embalming, restorative art, and mortuary cosmetology. These three divisions of the mortuary preparation sciences and arts are also contained in this fifth edition. Contributions on the topic of restorative art has been enhanced by the work of Vernie Fountain and C. Richard Sanders. Fifty-one persons have contributed to this text, in whole or in part. New contributors include, Paul Cimiluca, David G. Hicks, Shun Newbern and Karl Wenzel.

Three readers from the American Board of Funeral Service Education have reviewed the changes made in this editionPatty S. Hutchison, Alta Williams and Eugene C. Ogrodnik.

Original artwork by Jeffrey C. Pierce of Pittsburgh and Jude Waples of Oakville, Ontario remains in this edition. Transcription work complete by Brockton A. Shaffer, of Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Finally a special thanks must be given to David E. Mahlstedt of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for his computer and editing skills, without whose help this edition would not have been possible. Ralph Yearick of Yearick-Milea Co. in Pittsburgh provided the necessary technical computer support.

I am grateful for Edward Eckenrode, who has assumed a substantial amount of my business activities making it possible for me to devote time to the preparation of this edition.

A special thanks to Eugene C. Ogrodnik, a former student of mine, now President and CEO of my alma mater the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. He willingly read every word of the manuscript, for this fifth edition, making numerous editorial and grammatical adjustments.

Finally, I wish to thank John Reed of Webster Springs, West Virginia for preparing the foreword for this edition. John was a 1971 graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and has served funeral service at the local, state and national levels. He is a past president of the National Funeral Directors Association.

Robert G. Mayer
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
December 2011

Color Plate 1. Ecchymosis of eyes (a).

Color Plate 2. Cavity fluid on cotton under eyelids (b).

Color Plate 3. Discoloration covered with opaque cosmetic (c).

Color Plate 4. Ecchymosis and IV Puncture, back of hand.

Color Plate 5. Bleach injected after embalming.

Color Plate 6. Swelling of IV puncture during embalming.

Color Plate 7. Ecchymosis and post-mortem Stain, and Tardieu spots (a).

Color Plate 8. Eyes set after embalming (b).

Color Plate 9. Opaque cosmetic application (c).

Color Plate 10. Livor mortis in fingersdiabetic (a).

Color Plate 11. Hands lowered before and during injection, to stimulate fluid distribution (b).

Color Plate 12. Hands and fingers cleared (c).

Color Plate 13. Excessive facial dehydration post-embalming.