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Modern embalming got its start during the Civil War. The bodies of those killed in battle were preserved so they could be shipped home for proper family funerals.
(Library of Congress)
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How embalming changed death
May 21, 2007
Embalming enables the deceased to look as good in death as they did in life. And that's completely altered the scope of the funeral industry.
St. Paul, Minn. — The Babylonians preserved their dead by putting them in jars of honey. The Egyptians perfected mummification. And the deceased British admiral Lord Nelson was placed in a cask of brandy.
Throughout history, societies have sought ways preserve the human body. Reporter Nikki Tundel takes a look at how embalming shaped the way we view death.
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