Shanna Riley 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,