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Embalming
is the act of preserving a body for a short period of time so that the remains
may be placed on display at a viewing or funeral. |
| Egyptian Embalming |
Embalming
has been practiced since ancient times. The Egyptians are best known for their
embalming (mummification) customs.
The embalming process is similar to pickling food – a way to keep
something preserved for a short period of time.
 |
| King Tut |
King
Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in 1922, in the Valley of the Kings. The fact that his body had been preserved
by mummification presented an opportunity for governments to consider the same
being done for certain world leaders, with the goal of preserving them for
thousands of years.
 |
| Sister Bernadette Soubirous |
Placing
a body on long-term display became a tradition with Catholic saints and
popes. But the bodies did not
last, and therefore did not remain on display permanently.
 |
| Civil War Embalming |
 |
| Civil War Soldier |
The
necessity of finding a way to preserve remains for a certain length of time
became crucial during the American Civil War. Families wanted their soldiers returned home for
burial. Dr. Thomas Holmes, a
surgeon with the Army Medical Corps began the process of embalming dead Union
soldiers so their remains could be sent back to their families.
 |
| Lincoln's Funeral Train |
 |
| Embalmed Lincoln |
These
embalming methods made it possible for the body of President Abraham Lincoln to
be viewed enroute across the country, as it was returned to Springfield,
Illinois for interment. When Lincoln’s coffin was opened 36 years later, his
features were still recognizable.
 |
| 19th Century Embalming Fluids |
The
main ingredients used in embalming during the Civil War were alcohol and
arsenic salts. Then in 1867, a
German chemist discovered formaldehyde, and the process of modern embalming
began.
 |
| Crowds Wait to see Lenin |
 |
| Vladimir Lenin |
Long-term
embalming for public display became accepted when Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin
died in 1924. Over 3-million showed up to say farewell to
their leader.
The
exact techniques used by the Russians for long-term embalming have remained
secret. However, it is known that the procedure involves removing the organs,
dissolving the veins, and extracting blood from the tissues. The body is then placed in a vat of
embalming fluid where the temperature and humidity levels are closely watched
and controlled. After six months, the body has soaked up enough of the embalming
fluid to preserve it for a longer period of time. The formaldehyde-based
embalming fluid changes the chemical composition of the body and gets rid of
bacteria so that mold can’t grow. This helps prevent decomposition from
occurring.  |
| Mortuary Artist at Work |
Once
the body has been embalmed, mortuary artists are brought in to make the
deceased look more lifelike with the use of cosmetics, hair, and clothing. The products used are in keeping with
the local climate, and conditions that the body will be subjected to.
 |
| Climate Controlled |
Long-term
embalming does not stop decomposition; it only slows it down. The embalming process must be reapplied
periodically in order to keep the body maintained, and the remains must be kept
in a climate controlled, sterile environment.
 |
| Lenin's 'Bath' |
 |
| Lenin in 1991 |
Lenin
also has his own embalming maintenance team at the Research Institute for
Biological Structures in Moscow.
His body is inspected twice a week, and his hands and face are then
cleaned with a special solution.
Every 12 to 18 months, Lenin’s body is immersed in an embalming solution
bath to soak for 30 days. It is
then placed back on display in a glass sarcophagus that protects it from
bacteria.
Since
Lenin’s embalming, several Communist and Socialist leaders have been put on
public display. The list includes:
Argentinean
Vice President Eva Peron in 1952.
Vietnamese
revolutionary leader Ho Chi Ming in 1969.
Leader
of the People’s Republic of China, Chairman Mao Zedong in 1976. 
Exiled
Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1989. 
North
Korean leader Kim Il-sung in 1994. 
His
son, Kim Jong-il in 2011.
 |
| Chavez at Funeral |
 |
| Hugo Chavez |
Now
plans are underway to embalm Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who died on
March 5th, 2013. Once
embalmed, Chavez’s remains would lay in a glass case on public display, permanently.
 |
| Lenin's Mausoleum |
 |
| Ho Chi Ming Museum |
Most
embalmed leaders were laid to rest in a mausoleum or military museum where
generations of the faithful could visit.
Only Lenin, Ho Chi Ming, Kim Il-sung, and Kim Jong-il are still in
presentable condition and on display.
(Ho Chi Ming is also treated to a special ‘bath’ once a year in Moscow.)
 |
| Stalin at Kremllin Wall |
 |
| Lenin and Stalin |
Soviet
dictator Joseph Stalin was embalmed and put on display next to Lenin in
1953. The Soviet government
ordered Stalin’s body removed from the mausoleum in 1961 as part of the
de-Stalinization of the country.
He was quietly interred in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, outside the
walls of the Kremlin.
 |
| Communist Leaders |
The
decision to embalm Chavez is considered to be an endeavor to elevate him to the
ranks of the high communist. As to
who will do the embalming process – no one has yet been officially announced,
although a Filipino mortuary artist, Frank Malabed has volunteered.
 |
| Attending Lenin |
The
Russian specialists who care for Lenin’s body are considered to be the best at
this type of long-term preservation, and have also sent word of their interest
to help.
 |
| Lenin On Display |
Lenin’s
embalming process is still one of the best examples of long-term embalming ever
done. But since the fall of
Communism in 1991, the government no longer funds the preservation work. Now the continued maintenance is paid
for by private funds and donations. There has even been talk of deconstructing
Lenin’s Mausoleum and burying his remains in a tomb.
As
they say, “Nothing lasts forever…”
~
Joy
To
view the process of Lenin’s yearly ‘bath’,
