Embalming

Embalming is the treatment of a deceased body to delay decomposition, commonly through preservative chemicals and disinfection. Its methods and purposes vary across cultures and historical periods.

Arterial embalming: A preservation method that injects embalming fluid into the body's arteries while draining blood through veins. This is the common modern method for distributing preservative through the body.
Funeral home: A business that prepares deceased people and arranges funeral services. Funeral homes commonly provide embalming as part of body preparation.
Ancient Egyptian mummification: A set of ancient Egyptian practices that preserved bodies, especially through desiccation, wrapping, and ritual treatment. It is a prominent historical form of body preservation, distinct from modern chemical embalming.
Refrigeration of human remains: The use of low temperatures to slow decomposition in a deceased body. Refrigeration delays decomposition without injecting preservative chemicals.
Cavity embalming: A method that removes gases and fluids from body cavities and replaces them with preservative chemicals. It treats internal organs and spaces that arterial injection may not preserve adequately.
Funeral director: A professional who coordinates funerals and may oversee preparation and care of deceased people. Funeral directors explain, arrange, or supervise embalming in funeral services.
Natron: A naturally occurring mixture of sodium salts used in antiquity for cleaning and drying. Ancient Egyptian embalmers used natron to desiccate bodies before wrapping.
Cryonics: The low-temperature preservation of legally dead people in the hope that future technology may restore them. Cryonics pursues possible future revival, unlike embalming's temporary preservation for present purposes.
Formaldehyde: A colorless, pungent gas used in aqueous solutions as a disinfectant and tissue preservative. Formaldehyde-based fluids preserve tissue by cross-linking proteins and inhibiting microbial activity.
Repatriation of human remains: The transport of a deceased person's remains from one country or jurisdiction to another. International transport rules may require preservation measures, including embalming.

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