“In these chambers, formed in the rock, and to a considerable extent,
they had hollowed out many niches in which were placed the bodies of
the heads of families for whom these sepulchres were destined. These
niches were made vertically. The bodies were thus placed upright in
the cases which enclosed them, and from whence, in latter times, they
have taken such great numbers. These cases are made of sycamore,
which never rots, and consist of only two pieces. The first, in which
the body is enclosed, is very deep, and excavated with great labour;
the second serves as a cover, and fits the coffin perfectly. Some of
these cases have been found with glass eyes, through which, without
uncovering them, may be seen the body of the mummy enclosed. Others
have been met with double, that is to say, one case enclosed within
another, which leads to the belief that the first doubtless, contained
the body of some person of distinction. It is, however, very rare to
find a body enclosed in a costly case, because the Arabs who discover
them, never fail to break to pieces these kind of bodies in search
of golden idols, in which, indeed, they are often successful. They
afterwards replace the body in a common case, where idols of any value
are seldom found. Some time ago, the master of _Saccara_, a village in
the vicinity of the Plain of Mummies, investigated the openings of some
of these subterranean sepulchres, and as he is a firm friend of mine,
he presented me with various curiosities, a great number of mummies,
images in wood, and inscriptions of a hieroglyphical and unknown
character, which had been found there.
“In one of these chambers they found, for example, the case and the
mummy of a woman, before which was a wooden figure of a young boy
on his knees, with one finger on his lips, and in the other hand
holding a chaffing dish, resting on his head, and in which there had
doubtless been perfume. This young man was marked on the stomach with
some hieroglyphic characters; they broke it to pieces to see if it
contained gold. They found in the mummy, which they opened for the same
reason, a little vase a foot long, containing the same balm which they
use for preserving the body from corruption. I took to pieces another
female mummy, of which the Sieur Bagarry made me a present. The opening
was made in the house of the Capuchin fathers of this city; and they
had the imprudence to cut the fillets with scissors; these bands, of
considerable length and breadth, were not only charged from one end to
the other with hieroglyphic figures, but they also discovered beneath
certain unknown characters, traced from right to left and forming a
species of verse. Indeed, they remarked the same termination in several
little consecutive lines. It consisted most probably, of the eulogium
of this person, written in the language which was in use, in his time,
in Egypt. However this may be, these bandages taken to pieces, were
immediately pillaged by some pedlars, who were present with me at the
opening of this mummy; there was only left for me a small portion,
which I have since sent to France: none of the Savans have been able to
decipher them. This mummy held the right hand applied to his stomach,
and under this hand were held instrumental cords perfectly preserved;
whence I concluded that it was the body of a person who played upon
some instrument, or who, at least, had been addicted to music. I am
persuaded that, if each mummy was examined with the same care, some
sign of this nature would be occasionally met with.
“I have made another observation, which appears to me neither less
curious nor less useful; it is, that in these mummies all the faces
differ, some are remarkable for youth, others for beauty. Those who
have seen whole mummies know that they have all a gilded mask, composed
of several folds of silk cloth, which form a kind of very solid carton.
I judged from this diversity, that the masks or cartons, crowded with
hieroglyphic characters, which indicate, without doubt, the age, the
actions, the manners, and the condition of the person, were also a
natural representation of them, either that care had been taken to form
this model during life, or that it had only been taken after death by
applying these cloths to the face, after the same manner that we take
the likeness of a corpse in the present day with plaster or wax. By
this means, they not only preserved the bodies of a family entire, but,
on entering these subterranean places where they were deposited, they
could in an instant see represented all their ancestors for a thousand
years, such nearly, as they were when living; nothing was more likely
vividly to recall the recollection of their virtues, to perpetuate
their memory and love in the hearts of their posterity.
“Not satisfied to preserve, by these means, the recollection of their
princes and of their relatives, the Egyptians still further deposited
their marble images near to their mummy. I have certain proofs of what
I advance, in one of the most curious antiquities which I have acquired
in this country. It is a figure in three pieces, representing a woman.
The head and the feet are of black touchstone; the body is sheathed,
and made of verd antique marble, rayed with white. These three pieces
united, form a figure five feet five inches in height. It is very
perfect, and of exquisite beauty. The priest who sold it to me with
great scruples, and at a high price, swore by the Evangelist, that the
figure was found in a pyramid seven or eight hundred years ago.
“In these chambers of which I speak, are found many niches, some large,
others small, the chambers also often communicate, from a second to a
third, and sometimes even to a fourth; but it is not to be understood,
that all the bodies deposited in these sombre apartments, were all
enclosed in cases and placed in these niches; the most of them were
simply embalmed and swathed, as every one knows; after which they
contented themselves in arranging them thus carelessly near each other;
some of them were even placed in these tombs without being embalmed,
or were so lightly so, that at the present time there remain only the
bones among the linen which enveloped them, and which are half rotten.
It is thus also are seen in some of these chambers heaps of bones mixed
with these sort of linens, which have been left after they carried
off the bodies which were preserved entire, to be exported beyond the
seas. It is probable, that every family of any consideration, had for
themselves one of these sepulchres; that the niches were destined to
receive the heads of families, and that those of domestics and slaves
were simply placed on the ground, after having been embalmed, or even
without that ceremony; it is the same, without doubt, as regards the
chiefs even of a family of less distinguished houses. They have even
discovered, lately, in this plain of mummies, a mode, unknown until
now, of burying the dead. At the extremity of this extensive plain
and towards the mountains which bound it on the west, beds of carbon
have been discovered, upon which bodies lie simply swathed with
linen, and covered by a mat, seven or eight feet beneath the sands.
Nevertheless, it ought to be observed, that these bodies, although they
were not embalmed, or only slightly so, similar to those which they had
neglected to enclose in cases, they were none the less protected from
corruption.”
When I consider with what facility the Egyptians were able to preserve
their dead, I can scarcely comprehend this passage of an author
otherwise so ingenious: “An industry so complicated, could not have
presented itself all at once to the genius of the people. Like all
other nations of the earth, these could only have devoted themselves
to the arts, properly so called, after securing their subsistence by
agriculture. Review all these arts, arrange them in the order in which
it might be supposed that they originated, and endeavour to determine
the precise period of each, you will not be able to find this. History
is mute on this point; and however rash it may be to interpret her
silence, it is, nevertheless, evident, that the art of embalming, very
ancient for us, was very new to the Egyptians, and, perhaps, ulterior
to all others.” I do not deny that this mode of rebutting history with
_a priori_ views and conjectures, is any less positive than the method
of historians, who do it often by acknowledged falsehood; but neither
one of them are assuredly worth much.
The numerous facts which we have brought together in this chapter,
appears to us most calculated to fix all the questions relative to
embalming which long discussions and reasonings have lost sight of.
They prove that bodies, placed in the bosom of the earth, covered only
with a few feet of sand have been preserved for ages; that others
scarcely embalmed, have been discovered untouched: after this, what
becomes of the necessity of advanced arts, and perfection of ingenuity,
when on the other hand, we see nations that have attained a high degree
of civilization, with an immense mass of knowledge of all kinds, but in
other conditions, geological and atmospherical, have not transmitted to
us, although nearer our own epoch, any thing more than a little dust
from the most gorgeous sepulchres?
The brief view which we cast upon the assemblage of facts which have
been submitted to us, leads to totally different conclusions from
those which precede, and which convinces us--1st. Of all the arts,
that of embalming ought the most readily to have presented itself to
the mind of the Guanches, of the Egyptians, and of all those nations
placed under analogous atmospherical and geological conditions: 2d. For
no others does nature offer more positive lessons or more efficient
aid: 3d. The Egyptians have embalmed from the earliest period of
their civilization, before any art was very much advanced; four or
five species of their mummies offer sufficient proof of this: 4th.
The arts of perfecting and weaving tissues; of melting, fashioning,
and colouring glass and metals; the delicate art of engraving on
fine stones; the art of working wood, of painting it, of ornamenting
it, and of giving it the eclat of gold, of varnish, and of enamel;
the art of preparing perfumes, and of causing to enter even the very
flesh, odoriferous powders, essences, and resins; all these arts have
contributed, according to their degree of development, to complicate
and perfect the art of making mummies, so simple at its commencement:
5th. Transported into countries where the exterior conditions are
different, this art has been found inefficacious, and has scarcely
ever attained its end. We shall have proofs of this in the following
chapter.
CHAPTER V.
EMBALMING, FROM THE EGYPTIANS DOWN TO OUR DAY.
Here facts are almost entirely wanting, and the history of the art
we are studying, can only be followed in the recitals of historians,
to control whose veracity we have no longer those monuments which
Egypt offers us in such great numbers. Among the Jews, the Greeks,
the Romans, and all modern nations, we see the honours of embalming
accorded to kings, princes, and men of distinction; but no tomb that
has been opened, has rendered a single mummy so perfect, as those which
we admire among the Egyptians; and if some rare and distant examples
inform us of a durable preservation, the marvellous and extraordinary
details accompanying it causes us to doubt the fact itself.
Thus, on the assertion of Gabriel Clauder, they saw in the time of
St. Augustin, the bodies of Alexander, and of Ptolemy; their tomb has
been visited for many ages, and they were enabled to distinguish the
skin preserved with the members. But, continued they, all bodies do
not resemble that of Alexander the Great, which was during his life,
according to the report of Plutarch, and of Quintus Curtius, of a
composition so rare and wonderful, that his skin, mouth, and all his
person, rendered a very agreeable odour, and perfumed his clothes.
It is said that his corpse, by the negligence of his friends and of
his captains, remained several days without being embalmed, and that,
nevertheless, when they went to visit it, it was found sound, without
blemish, having even the complexion as fresh and florid as if he had
been living, although he died of a continued fever: his appearance was
so natural that the Egyptians and Chaldeans, who were charged to embalm
him after their own manner, were at first afraid to approach him,
thinking he might not be dead.
Such marvellous accounts are not sufficiently in harmony with the
rigorous course which we have thus far followed, to induce us seriously
to discuss them; we confine ourselves to the statement of each down to
our own day, where well established facts will offer ample matter for
reflection.
The Jewish people, who, like others, testified their respect for the
dead, never admit the care of embalming the body as a common usage.
Thus, Abraham purchased the field where Sarah was buried; Joseph had
the body of his father magnificently embalmed; Moses only carried away
the bones of Joseph; David praised the people of Gilead, for having
buried with pomp Saul and his sons, &c. In most of these examples, no
mention is made of embalming; nevertheless, the body of Jesus Christ
was embalmed.
The following is nearly the method: each sex took care of its dead;
they, first of all, close the mouth and eyes of the expired person,
afterwards they shaved, washed, and rubbed it with perfumes; they tied
it with bands, and buried it in several cloths of very fine linen
or woollen, and finally, they put it into the sepulchre. Cornelius
Jansenius thinks that the myrrh and aloes which they employed, had
the virtue powerfully to resist putrefaction. It is useless to say
that this opinion is without foundation; that the great quantities of
aromatics which they consumed, was rather for pomp, than for the long
preservation of the subject. They took no pains to dry the body; they
did not disembarrass it of the intestines, and, in spite of all these
odoriferous drugs, as Penicher justly remarks, decomposition must soon
have revealed itself, as was testified by the body of Lazarus when
resuscitated.
Neither did the Persians, probably, propose by embalming, any thing
beyond a very limited preservation; the passage which we cited in
the first chapter is in proof of this. Besides, this custom with
them does not possess a general character. Cyrus, King of Persia,
said to his children: “when I have ceased to live, place my body
neither in silver, nor in gold, nor in any other coffin, but return
it immediately to the earth, for how can it be more happily and more
desirably disposed, than to be returned to that which produces and
which nourishes most excellent things?” It will be perceived, that
Cyrus, in forbidding that any care should be taken with his body,
does not allude to embalming, which, of all other means, would have
been the most efficient in preventing its elements from returning
to the common mother. The Greeks and the Romans, among whom we have
particularized some examples of embalming, practised it in a coarse
and imperfect manner. The examination of their method would be here
without interest.
In order to recover some traces of this art, we must refer to De Bils,
Ruysch, Swammerdam, Clauderus, &c. They only boast of their astonishing
success, without giving us the means of studying their methods. What
we do know of them suffices only to make us doubt, as we have seen,
the perfection of their processes. De Bils, of whom we have not yet
spoken, had a cabinet which excited the admiration of visiters; he
never revealed his secret, and he even shed an odour of aromatics
through his anatomical rooms, in order to deceive observers. Clauderus,
who suspected the deception, applied his moistened finger to one of the
bodies, and carrying it to his lips recognised the taste of salts. He
started from this fact to attempt numerous researches, and succeeded
in forming different compounds, of which the preservative powers
are, without doubt, exaggerated; we shall give the analysis of them
hereafter.
De Rasiere, ecuyer, sieur Desenclosses, published in 1727, a
description of a cabinet, in which he preserved a hundred specimens;
the following extract from his pamphlet presents several descriptions
of subjects skilfully prepared; it is preceded by an engraving,
representing the cabinet, of which he gives the description.
_Extract from the description of the cabinet of anatomy, of M. De
Rasiere, ecuyer, sieur Desenclosses, 1727._
This cabinet is eighty feet long, by sixteen wide, the glass windows
are double, and exposed to the south, with a good ceiling and boarded,
which renders it very proper for the preservation of the curious pieces
which it encloses, and which are more than one hundred in number,
differently worked, and arranged so that entire men are placed in the
inferior departments, and the infants in the superior; all the fleshy
pieces are enclosed in glass cases, and the skeletons in niches covered
by a curtain.
The whole so disposed, that the skeletons and muscular pieces are
arranged alternatively. We see, also, entire carcases of men, so
arranged, that the head, which is placed on the large bones, is crowned
by the vertebræ, and the ribs are suspended above. This order, added
to the quantity of paintings and gildings which embellish the cases
and cornices, produces a very fine effect. The side which looks to the
south, includes a great number of bottles of all sizes, and contains
objects taken from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms.
The middle of the cabinet is occupied by numerous interesting objects.
We first perceive a large glass case, which includes all the internal
parts of man, and fetuses of all ages, and a microscope to view the
circulation of the blood. Then appears a horse’s skeleton, mounted
by a skeleton cavalier, holding a sword in his hand; an air pump; an
anatomical table, upon which is a corpse, and an anatomist in wax,
standing before it, dissecting.
Among the pieces of the cabinet mentioned by M. De Rasiere, the most
remarkable are: _In the first glass case_, the preparation of Gotard’s
skeleton, in which are distinctly displayed the four hundred and
fifty-six muscles. _Second case_: partial preparation of the eyes and
the tongue, of the head, of the body, of the arms and legs. _Third
case_: preparation of the muscles, arteries, veins, and nerves of
the right side, and the skeleton of the left side. The _fifth case_
is a complete preparation, in which the skin and fat has only been
removed, and all the parts beneath separated. We here observe, first,
the ascending aorta, which carries the blood to all the superior
parts; second, the carotid arteries, which supply the head; third, the
temporal arteries; fourth, the radial arteries (pulse;) fifth, the
crural arteries, and an infinity of others even to the most delicate
branches. The veins are filled with a black fluid. Sixth, preparation
of the veins of the arm. Seventh, jugular veins; eighth, veins of the
foot; ninth, vena cava ascendens. _Eighth case_: a subject resembling
accurately a mummy or embalmed body, such as are brought from Egypt.
All the flesh is covered by the skin, through which may be seen the
veins and arteries filled with congealed and coloured wax. The hair
of the head, the beard, and all the hair of the body, as well as the
nails, are still attached to it. _The eleventh glass case_ encloses the
body of Nicholas Lefort, aged eighty-three years, a native of Douai,
in Flanders: this subject is peculiarly tasteful, every thing being
naturally arranged; the external muscles are divested of their fat, and
all the arteries, veins, and nerves, which ramify upon the muscles,
skin, &c., have been preserved, which renders this preparation as
curious as it was difficult of execution. _Twelfth case_: preparation
of the nerves.
But the author is silent regarding the manner of making these
preparations. Let us endeavour to find in the writings of the time, a
description of processes capable of producing such results.
Penicher, in his chapter fifth, (of embalming according to the
moderns,) gives us the composition and properties of balm. “It is
composed,” says he, “of different mixtures, both fluid and solid,
calculated to arrest putrefaction, either by the aromatic virtues
of sulphur and volatile salts, medicaments which enter into its
composition, or by a strong bitter principle which consists in very
penetrating particles, the property of which is to consume and
attenuate the crude matters, which disposes and hastens the body to
corruption; or by remedies, inheriting a quantity of particles which
dissipate and absorb all putrescent moisture, or by their viscosity
agglutinating the parts which ferment and rarify too readily; or,
finally, by their astringency, which, fixing these same parts, prevents
the resolution of all.”
It is easy to perceive, by the explanations which precede, that the
embalmers themselves possess no very clear ideas of the success which
they obtained. The nomenclature which we give below, will justify the
doubt we have expressed.
The powders, which constitute the base of the balm, are made of
all parts of the plants which fulfil the indications so confusedly
announced. Such were the roots of _angelica_, _imperatoria_, _galanga_,
_acorus_, _carolina_, _caryophillata_, _gentian_, _enula campana_,
_valerian_, _Florentine iris_, _flambe_, _calamus aromaticus_,
_ginger_, _pyrethrum_, _cyperus_, _dictamus_, _rosewood_, _sassafras_,
_guiacum_, _juniper_, _box wood_, _citron bark_, _oranges_, _canella_,
_cassia lignea_, _tan_, _nutmeg_, _mace_, _cloves_, _cubebs_,
_spicknard_, _colocynth_, _bay-berries_, _juniper-berries_, _and
myrtle-berries_, _gall-nuts_, _cypress_, _anis-seed_, _cumin-seed_,
_fennel-seed_, _coriander-seed_, _cardamon-seed_, _long_, _white_,
_and black pepper_, _rue-leaves_, _thyme_, _absynth_, _savin_,
_horehound_, _mugwort_, _laurel_, _mint_, _myrtle_, _calomint_,
_balm_, _balmgentle_, _marjorum_, _rosemary_, _sage_, _summer savory_,
_wild-thyme_, _pennyroyal_, _mountain-mint_, _hyssop_, _nepeta_,
_basilic_, _scordium_, _flowers of saffron_, _roses_, _pale and
red_, _stæchas_, _centaury_, _melilot_, _chamomile_, _germander_,
_chamæpitys_, _hypericum_, _caraway-seed_, _dill-seed_, _lavender_.
Many gums and resins entered into the composition of balm, such as
_resin_, _Burgundy pitch_, _ship-pitch_, _gum elemi_, _assafœtida_,
_aloes_, _myrrh_, _galbanum_, _acacia_, _tucamahaca_, _benzoin_,
_styrax calamite_, _fluid styrax_, _turpentine_, _camphor_, _cedria_,
_all the_ species of balm; _wood of aloes_, _tartar_, _potash_, _from
the lees of wine_, _civet_, _castor_, _musk_, _ambergris_, _labdanum_,
_Jew’s pitch_, _asphaltum_, _pisasphaltum_, _slacked-lime_, _plaster_,
_sulphur_, _common salt_, _rock-salt_, _saltpetre_, _alum_, _amber_,
_&c_.
The article of compound drugs, is not less extensive, such as the
tincture of _musk_, _ambergris_, _civet_, _benzoin_, _styrax_, _aloes_,
_myrrh_. The distilled oils and essences of the plants which we have
named,--spirits of wine, distilled myrrh, aloes, and amber,--is
excellent for the preservation of the fetus.
The salt of Clauderus has also enjoyed a great reputation; the
following is its composition: Dissolve one pound of common salt with
a pound of oil of vitriol in a crucible, apply a cover closely luted,
and distil it gradually in a sand bath; you may pour off a spirit very
excellent for a lotion; in the bottom of the crucible will remain a
caput mortuum, which should be dissolved according to art, and after
evaporation, you will have the salt so much esteemed by the author.
We may add here the brine, which is described in the collections of
Charles de Maetz, (chap. 100, et 194; and chap. 23 of the book entitled
_Chemia Rationalis_, and also in the work of Blanchard,) they advise
that after a corpse has been emptied and cleaned of its excretions,
it be placed in a leaden coffin, and there macerated in a sufficient
quantity of pure oil of turpentine, and after some days of maceration,
to wash it with spirits of wine to remove the odour, then sprinkle it
with a strong tincture of myrrh and aloes, which they call _balsamum
mortuorum_, and that it be finally dried in the sun.
I shall not now enter into the endless discussions upon the different
species of salts, which some boast of for embalming, whilst others
consider them injurious to the preservation of bodies. I abstain also,
from speaking of lime, to which, however, wonders have been attributed:
thus it was lime which preserved the body of _Afra_: and in the year
1523, under the pontificat of Adrian VI., the body of Saint Thomas,
the Apostle, was likewise found towards the Gulf of Coromandel,
endued, and covered with a cement made of lime and urine; the bones
were very white, and along side of him the spear of his lance, a part
of the cane which had served him during his journey, and an earthen
vase which had been sprinkled with his blood. Notwithstanding these
remarkable examples, if they are true, the authors who relate them give
no importance to the processes to which we owe them, they even complain
of the sordid views of those, who, in order to augment the mass of
matters, do not hesitate to mix thereto plaster, ashes, &c. We give
the description of some of these mixtures composed of the substances
which we have enumerated.
1.--_Balsamic Wine._
℞. Good red wine, 8 pints.
Cloves, roses, citron bark, colocynth, _a.a._* 2 ℥.
Styrax, benzoin, _a.a._ 1 ℥.
* _a.a._ of each.
Reduce these drugs to a coarse powder, macerate for a few hours in
wine, and boil slightly.
_Usages_.--Lotion for the interior parts of the body; and to disinfect
the chamber during the operation.
2.--_Compound Brandy._
℞. Absynth leaves, great centaury, rhue, sage,
marjory, mugwort, thyme, _a.a._ 4 handsfull.
Colocynth, 2 ℥.
Styrax, calamite, benzoin, _a.a._ 3 ℥.
Pepper, ginger, _a.a._ 2 ʒ.
Macerate in a sea-bath for twenty-four hours, in fifteen pints of best
brandy, with as much distilled vinegar.
3.--_Vinegar for washing the head, the breast, the belly, and for
injections._
℞. White and black pepper, ginger, _a.a._ 1/2 ℔.
Colocynth, 3 ℥.
Absynth, centaury, hypericum, _a.a._ 4 ℥.
Reduce to a coarse powder, and macerate in forty pints of rose-vinegar;
then strain for use.
4.--_Another._
℞. Absynth, five or six handsfull.
Colocynth apples, 30.
Alum, common salt, _a.a._ 1 ℔.
Concentrated vinegar, 14 _pts._
Let it boil a little, and add two pints of brandy; better than the
preceding.
The embalmer ought to have several large sponges; about four pounds
of tow to dry the blood and absorb the powders; cotton for the mouth,
nose, and ears; coarse brush for rubbing the exterior of the body with
the liniment. The artist should have, besides, two ells of cere-cloth,
which he can prepare for himself after one of the following formulæ:
1.--_Cere-cloth._
℞. New wax, 12 ℔.
Fluid styrax, oil of turpentine, _a.a._ 1 ℔.
Melt and mix them over a slow fire, then draw the linen through it
frequently so as to impregnate both sides.
2.--_Another._
℞. Yellow wax, 25 ℔.
Turpentine, colophane,[J] resin, _a.a._ 3 ℔.
Ship-pitch, 2-1/2 ℔.
Verdegris, 1 ℔.
Incense, fluid styrax, _a.a._ 2 ℔.
Oil of spike, 1-1/2 ℔.
Melt, and mix the whole with two pounds of mutton suet, and plunge the
linen in it as before.
[J] Colophane, a species of resin, used by violinists to rub their
cat-gut strings.--_Tr._
3.--_Another._
℞. New wax, 4 ℔.
Resin of pine, turpentine, _a.a._ 8 ℔.
Gum Arabic, 8 ℥.
Melt, and soak as before.
4.--_Another._
℞. Turpentine, 3 ℔.
Wax, 15 ℔.
Mix it with a sufficient quantity of oil to make a cerate.
1.--_Mixture for soaking the linens, the chemise, the coiffure, and
the bandages._
℞. New wax, 20 ℔.
Venice turpentine, gum elemi, _a.a._ 2 ℔.
Powdered florence iris, 4 ℔.
Styrax, calamite, benzoin, _a.a._ 6 ℥.
Myrrh, aloes, _a.a._ 3 ℥.
Balsam of Peru, oil of absynth, _q. s._
Melt the wax and the gum, add the balsam, and then the powdered
aromatics for use.
2.--_Another._
℞. New wax, 12 ℔.
Common resin, 2 ℔.
Venice turpentine, 1 ℔.
Gum elemi, 4 ℥.
3.--_Another._
℞. White wax, 6 ℔.
Oil of nutmegs, distilled oil of lavender,
citron bark, oranges, _a.a._ 2 ℥.
The following are some formulæ of liniment, or fluid balsam, proper to
rub the corpse both internally and externally.
1.--_Liniment._
Dissolve two ounces of true balsam into two pints of spirit of wine.
2.--_Another Liniment._
℞. Turpentine, oil of spike, _a.a._ 2 ℔.
Gum elemi, fluid styrax, _a.a._ 4 ℥.
Oil of laurel, 3 ℔.
3.--_Another._
℞. Fluid styrax, 6 ℥.
Balsam of Peru, 2 ℥.
Oil of mace, 1/2 ℥.
Rosewood, 1 ℥.
4.--_Another Liniment._
℞. Oil of rosemary, rosewood, _a.a._ 3 ℥.
Cloves, 1-1/2 ℥.
Absynth, origan, _a.a._ 1 ℥.
5.--_Another._
℞. Venice turpentine, 3 ℔.
Gum elemi, 4 ℥.
Oil of hypericum, 1/2 ℔.
Balsam of Peru, (f. S. A.) 2 ℥.
6.--_Another._
℞. Venice turpentine, 6 ℥.
Gum elemi, 3 ℥.
Fluid styrax, 2 ℥.
Calamite, benzoin, _a.a._ 1 ℥.
Oil of spike, Muscat roses, nutmeg,
distilled cloves, _a.a._ 1/2 ℥.
Musk, 1/2 ʒ.
Civet, 1 ʒ.
The embalmer ought to furnish himself with silk ribands, of a black,
violet, or white colour, according to the subject which he has to
embalm, in order to tie the sheet by the two extremities, as well as
a quarter of taffeta of one of the said colours to envelope the box
containing the heart; further, five fathoms of cord to tie the corpse
enveloped in cere-cloth. A coffin of lead in a coffin of wood. A barrel
for the intestines. Bandages soaked in the liniment to bandage the body.
The following powder, as well as those which come after, are models
which will serve according to the prudence of the embalmer for the
cavities, for the parts sacrificed, and to form a crust around the
body, or to be mixed with the adhesive plaster.
1.--_Balsamic Powder._
℞. Angelica root, calamus, Florentine iris,
flag, imperatoria, carolina, cypress,
ginger, enula-campana, aristolochia,
gentiana, valeriana, rosewood, spicknard,
colocynth, _a.a._ 1/2 ℔.
Anis-seed, fennel, cumin, coriander, pepper
(white, black, and long,), cardomine,
cypress, gall-nuts, citron-bark, oranges,
juniper-wood, laurel, chamomile flowers,
melilot, centaury, lavender, roses, _a.a._ 1 ℔.
Rhue leaves, absynth, mint, calamint, savin,
thyme, marjory, balm, balmgentle, rosemary,
sage, horehound, pennyroyal, origan, hyssop,
laurel, myrtle, _a.a._ 2 ℔.
Tan passed through a seive, 4 ℔.
Canella, styrax, nutmeg, aloes, myrrh,
benzoin, cloves, dittany, _a.a._ 4 ℥.
Reduce to a powder those which ought to be powdered, and then strain
them through a seive; but for the canella, and others of that class,
they must be beaten and employed separately.
Baltazar Timaeus added salt and incense to his powder.
2.--_Another Powder._
℞. Select myrrh, 4 ℔.
Bastard saffron, styrax, calamite,
cloves, _a.a._ 2 ℔.
Cabalin aloes, 5 ℔.
Dried rosemary leaves, 2 ℔.
Incense, 1 ℔.
Laurel leaves, red roses, _a.a._ 1/2 ℔.
3.--_Another._
℞. Common absynth, southern wood, lavender,
rosemary, laurel, _a.a._ 6 handsful.
Sage, marjory, basalic, origan, thyme,
great savory, hyssop, chamomile, _a.a._ 3 handsful.
Flor. iris-root, 4 ℔.
Santal citron, aloes-wood, 1/2 ℔.
Canella, cloves, juniperberry,
sassafras, _a.a._ 1 ℔.
Flower of roses, aloes, myrrh, incense,
styrax, benzoin, _a.a._ 2 ℔.
Rosewood, 3 ℔.
Salt, 4 ℔.
Make a powder, and reserve the oil of spike for the unction.
4.--_Another Powder._
Two measures of best spirits of wine to anoint and bathe all the
cavities; after which, rub all the parts with turpentine, then stuff
them with the following powder:
℞. Rosemary, laurel, hyssop, absynth, mint, rhue,
sage, wild thyme, pennyroyal, origan,
scordium, flowers of rosemary, roses,
lavender, chamomile, stoechas,
spicknard, _a.a._ 2 handsful.
Carraway and fennel seed, _a.a._ 1/2 ℔.
Gentian root, angelica, cloves,
valerian, _a.a._ 1 ℔.
Reduce to powder and add:
Aloes, mastic, incense, _a.a._ 2 ℔.
Myrrh, 1/2 ℔.
Benzoin, styrax, labdanum, canella, cloves,
nutmeg, mace, saffron, _a.a._ 1 ℥.
Mummy, 2-1/2 ℥.
Reduce to powder in a mortar.
5.--_Another Powder._
℞. Absynth, lavender, marjory, rosemary, thyme,
balmgentle, cypress, mint, sage, balm, dill,
origan, pennyroyal, red roses, _a.a._ 8 ℥.
Calamus, cyperus, gentian, Flor. iris,
rosewood, _a.a._ 5 ℥.
Benzoin, styrax, aloes, myrrh, _a.a._ 6 ℥.
Nutmeg, cloves, _a.a._ 4 ℥.
Reduce to a fine powder.
_Powder and Mixture._
Take a sufficient quantity of salt, and as much alum, to be mixed with
myrrh, aloes, absynth, canella, cumin, cloves, mountain mint, pepper,
and other aromatics; reduce to powder, sprinkling it with a little
vinegar; then fill the body with it, rubbing with melted wax; then
place the corpse in a leaden coffin. (_Formula of P. Bellon._)
Penicher, who has furnished these different formulæ, will trace in the
following pages the means of applying them.
There are many methods of embalming. The first, which is derived from
the sacred scriptures, did not prevent the body from soon undergoing
a change, since they neglected to remove the viscera, which cause
corruption.
The second is that in which they confined their operations to emptying
and cleaning the cavities which contain the intestines, the brain, and
other noble parts, filling them afterwards with powdered aromatics,
with tow and cotton.
The most common, and the most perfect which was practised, is the
third; which consists in making incisions in all parts of the body, as
we shall treat of further in the sequel.
We may add here a fourth mode, which regards only thin and fleshless
bodies; it requires that the fat and flesh be removed, so that the skin
and bones only remain. This method was not unknown to the Egyptians;
and I have several times practised it, but the operation is laborious,
and requires a skilful surgeon.
And finally, there is a last method of embalming the body, which is
performed by making small openings in several parts of the body, under
the armpits, the groins, and the anus, according to the ancient usage
of the Egyptians. In order to commence this important operation, it is
necessary, in the first place, that the surgeon who has the honour
to be employed to embalm a king or some sovereign prince, under the
orders of his first physician, in the presence of the crown officers,
makes with a bistoury several gashes in the soles of the feet, in order
to prove, by this operation, that the subject whose body he is about
to open is really dead; which is a much more certain method than the
unctions formerly used in similar cases, to recall the animal spirits,
which they suspected of being only stupified. He will afterwards make
a long incision, from the superior part of the sternum, to facilitate
the examination of the contents of the chest, and to investigate the
cause of disease and death, in order that a faithful written report may
be made in concert with the physicians and surgeons of the king. All
the parts contained in this cavity must be removed; he will afterwards
descend to the lower belly and examine all their contents, which he
will remove for that purpose, taking away every thing disposed to
corruption. The parts which ought to be removed, are, among others, the
throat, comprehending the trachea and œsophagus, the tongue, the eyes,
the lungs, the heart, which will be divested of its pericardium, to be
embalmed separately, as in ordinary cases; the stomach, the liver, the
spleen, the kidneys, the intestines, the brain, the membranes, the fat,
the blood, the serum, the sponges, and other matters which have served
during the operation; put all these things in a barrel, to be carried
to the place of destination. I know that some authors recommend the
extirpation of the sexual organs of both sexes; but, besides that this
would be to disfigure the body of a man, these parts may be preserved
as well as others, and we owe respect to the instruments which have
given us being. The surgeon having emptied these cavities, ought to
work at the head, of which he will saw the cranium in the same manner
as for anatomical demonstrations; and after he shall have examined and
taken out the brain, the apothecary must carefully wash the cavity with
aromatic wine and alcohol, and then fill it with the powder he will
have prepared, and with cotton and tow soaked in some fluid balsam, in
such a manner that there will be several layers of these stoupes and
powder applied one above the other; after which replace the bones of
the cranium and sew up the skin. He will then rub the head all over
with one of the liquid balms, and bathe the face frequently with the
same; envelope the head in a deep cap, which must be waxed; and after
having insinuated into the nose, the mouth, the orbits of the eyes, and
into the ears, cotton, soaked in liquid balm, the oils of nutmeg and
cloves, he will labour at the abdomen, which must be washed in the same
aromatic wine and alcohol, and rubbed with some of the aforesaid balms,
and, finally, stuffed abundantly with powder and tow, until all these
matters, distributed one above the other, will form the natural size
and appearance of the abdomen, which must be sown up. The surgeon will
take care that sections be made in the veins and arteries, in order to
divest them of blood and humidity, which will be observed regarding
the arms, thighs, legs, feet, heels, and other parts, as the back,
shoulders, and buttocks, turning the corpse for this purpose, face
towards the table; in these thick and fleshy places, the incisions
must be long, deep, and numerous, penetrating even to the bone; and
when the large vessels have been opened and purged of their blood, the
pharmacien will fill all these spaces with the powder, and then sew
them up with a needle and thread, after having sprinkled and bathed
them in aromatic wine and alcohol; for it is necessary to take care
and foment incessantly these parts; absorb from them, if possible,
all humidity, and dry them with a sponge, previous to rubbing them
with liquid balm, or one of the liniments, and fill them with the
stoupes and said powders. Finally, the whole must be sowed up very
neatly, so that the body may not be disfigured; for the same reason
the face ought not to be incised, and we ought to endeavour so to
preserve the features that they may be easily recognised, as I have
recently witnessed on the opening of the coffin of a bishop, who was
embalmed more than fifty years ago, and whose countenance was not in
the least disfigured. For this reason, the artist will make use of
fine powders, of aloes, myrrh, and others; as regards the body, he
will rub and anoint it with the liniment which he will have prepared,
adding thereto the powder, which he will make into a paste. And it is
necessary to remark, that in proportion as he finishes the embalming
of each part, the surgeon ought to bandage it with bandages of linen
soaked in the liniment, so that they will resemble a species of corset,
and in form of the letter x; let them make several convolutions one
upon the other, to keep the parts of the body compact, and prevent the
aromatics escaping from the cavities filled with them; these bandages
should commence with the neck and finish with the feet and hands; they
must be long and broad for the body, thighs, legs, and arms, but narrow
and short for the fingers. This done, put on the chemise, washed as
already recommended; ornament the subject with the exterior marks of
dignity which were possessed during life time, and wrap it in a linen
cloth soaked in liniment, which will serve as an adhesive plaster,
which must be tied by the two extremities with a riband; above which,
envelope it with the cere-cloth, which should be very closely bound
with a cord. Finally, deposit the body in the coffin, the intervals
of which must be filled with what remains of the powder, if there be
any, or with parcels of dried aromatic herbs; close it and solder it
with the utmost exactitude. Place on the outside a plate of copper, or
some other durable metal, upon which has been engraved some appropriate
inscription, to serve as a memento to posterity. The coffin must be
placed in another of wood, which may be covered, if desirable, with a mortuary cloth. |
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