Archive for April, 2007

Embalming – To Be or Not To Be?

April 7th, 2007

Embalming a body for transient preservation is an archaic practice that can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians - and was used perhaps even before. Though the methods have changed somewhat, the idea of bodily preservation by removing the fluids and replacing them with chemicals (natural or unnatural) has remained the same.

The practice of embalming bodies for viewing or burial has no roots in any particular religion. Indeed, some religions - orthodox Jewish and Muslim, for example - prohibit embalming as it is considered a desecration of the body.

The practice of embalming only came into common use after the Civil War in the United States. In 1861, Dr. Thomas Holmes, injected the bodies of slain soldiers with a mixture of arsenic and water; the intention being to preserve them for the journey home so that they could be buried by family members. Arsenic was the choice ingredient in embalming fluids until around 1910, when it was decided to pose too much of a health risk.

Today, embalming fluids are usually a mixture of formaldehyde (5-29%), methanol, ethanol (9-65%), and other solvents. Embalming fluid is highly toxic, and embalmers are required to wear full-body covering, and often a respirator, while handling it.

The internal organs are not removed during embalming, contrary to popular belief. Instead, bodily fluids are removed while embalming fluids are pumped into the body; usually arterially.

A common misconception of today's public - and that some of the more unscrupulous funeral homes may claim - is that embalming is required by law before burial. It is, in fact, not - unless the body needs to be moved across state lines.

Although it is not law, most funeral homes do require embalming if there is to be a public viewing; as the process gives the body a more "agreeable" appearance (dyes are injected into the embalming fluid to give the now-dead skin more color). Those that wish to give private viewings in their homes or who plan to have a closed casket service, however, do not have to embalm the body of their loved one.

Another myth is that embalming preserves a body forever more; this is untrue. There is nothing - not even the most perfectly, sealed casket - that can accomplish this. Embalming is a temporary preservative, and nothing more. The body will, eventually, decay.

Those that are squeamish about being embalmed often opt for cremation; though some bodies - those that are viewed before being cremated - are embalmed as well.

Green burial is fairly new on the scene, and offers simple burials in wooden caskets with no preservation methods taken. Proponents of "green burials" believe that returning to the Earth as quickly and naturally as possible is a more environment-friendly - and logical - way to go.

The decision to be embalmed isn't a momentous one; you'll be dead, after all - but it is something to discuss with your family. Embalming is an invasive process and many religions do not allow it. If you aren't comfortable with the idea, you should let your family members know and discuss other options.

There is a wealth of information on embalming, even down to the exact details of the process, on the Internet. I urge you to look into these and understand the process, and the alternatives. Embalming - though the standard in our society - isn't for everyone.

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Home Repairs

April 4th, 2007

Rosedale Cemetery, the site of a recent graving trip, has a set of large, brick family tombs that I noticed had been renovated in the not so distant past.

Fresh paint - including bright colors - adorned the once crumbling and blackened brick of the two-level vaulted tombs. It was work that had likely taken some time to complete.

The repairs were not professionally done, as is obvious, yet the graves look considerably better than they previously had - and, most importantly - the names and dates are now easily readable.

The tombs belong to the Scardino Family - immigrants from Italy who settled in the area; quite a bit of history is interred in these brick graves.

The large brick tombs - each nearly six feet in height - hold two shelves each, though there are seven of the Scardino family buried within (how this done is another post). The Scardino family has many stories to tell, as evidenced by the markers of their final resting place.

There is Antonia Purpa Scardino, born in 1872 - the matriarch of this family - who originally came from Poggioreale, Italy, and is the only female buried here. Her husband, born in 1862, Frank Sardino, hails from Salaparota, Italy. I believe the rest are their children, most of whom seem to have done quite well for themselves.

There is the father's namesake, Frank, who is listed as a New Orleans business owner. His older brother, Anthony was a WWI veteran, and brother Joseph was a merchant and one time mayor of Rosedale itself.

Two tragedies, however, befell the Scardino family in the midst of their good fortune it would seem - both of them occurring in the year 1918. Son Sarfino was "killed in action" at Morgan Hill, France during WWI; he was only twenty-two years of age. Another son, Leon, died at the age of eighteen; cause unknown.

The family burial site tells a lively tale of Italian immigrants making their way in the New World; a story that might never have been heard if some decades-distant descendant had not taken the time to mend the deteriorating graves.

To see the transformation for yourself: View the old grave look (from LA Cemeteries, taken by unknown) and the new grave look (from Find A Grave, taken by me).

A Story Behind Every Marker

April 3rd, 2007

Stumbling upon the markers of two family members this past weekend was a fruitful and exciting find. Yet it also brings to bear my "story behind every marker" concept.

The graves of James Doherty and Victoria Deauville Doherty sit still and unassuming in this small town cemetery that sees few visitors. They are simple markers; nothing about them would occasion more than a mere passing glance.

Yet they, like each headstone we walk by, has a story to tell.

Not even knowing Jim and Vic, as they were known in life, you can ascertain a few things about them and their lives from simply taking a moment to take in their final resting place.

Their tombstones sit beside one another, and their birth years are very close; Victoria has a maiden name etched into her headstone. It's a fair assumption, then, to allege these two were husband and wife. "Father" and "Mother" are also carved into the gray stone, so one can surmise that they had at least one child.

Both have been dead for over thirty years, and the bouquet of flowers between their graves is faded and bedraggled with age. It is likely, then, that their graves have not been visited for some time.

As you can see, even without knowing the truth about the person whose grave you are standing above, a few moments of simple reflection can offer much information.

In fact, our assumptions about the Dohertys would have been spot on. Jim and Vic were, indeed, a married couple who raised four children together. Most of those children are now in their 70s or have died; there were few grandchildren. It has likely been a very long time since these graves were visited and the flowers we see here were left.

Sometimes a name or a set of names will pique your curiosity for a seemingly unknown reason. You take down the names and dates you see before you, and set out on a quest to find out who and what these people were about while they were still alive. This was the case with myself and The Brandon Children.

Research into the Dohertys might have returned little helpful information or a lot. It may have connected you to a living family member eager to talk about their beloved deceased family or you may have come up with nothing and the grave remained a mystery.

In this way, regardless of the eventual outcome however, someone was remembered; either by facts found about them or by the imaginings in someone's mind of who they might have been. This is especially poignant for very old graves that have not likely not been visited, nor their occupants considered, in many long years.

There is a story behind the names and dates carved in stone before you - whether it be factual events of the person's former life, or the fictional invention your mind concocted as you contemplated the grave. For the creative dreamer, a cemetery can be the ultimate muse.

Speaking of stories, let us get back to our original protagonists. Here is a story about Jim and Vic Doherty: They began their life together as star-crossed lovers. Victoria's stepfather, who had raised her, did not approve of the young Doherty boy and refused to let her marry him. In defiance - and obviously in love - Jim and Vic ran off together.

Victoria's stepfather found them living in a tent on the side of the levee near Shreveport, Louisiana. He brought them home and the wedding was arranged. It's likely by that time Vic was pregnant. For whatever reason, the marriage was allowed to take place, and Jim and Vic lived a long, happy life together.

These were people who lived and breathed - who lived lives and still have stories to tell. Stop by a grave next time you find yourself in a cemetery and take a few moments to see what it's telling you. You might just uncover, or create, an amazing story.

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