Taphophilia.(dot) Com - Katrina put embalmers to ultimate test

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Syndicate

Katrina put embalmers to ultimate test

Written by DeadGirl
Friday, 31 March 2006
By Kamika Dunlap, STAFF WRITER NEW ORLEANS - Patrick Sanders uses mascara, eyebrow pencils and a fingernail file to do whatever it takes to give a body a lifelike appearance. He strives for perfection in the art and science of preservation, using his skills as an embalmer. "I do my best to satisfy the families because this is the last time they're seeing their loved ones in the human flesh," said Sanders, a funeral director and embalmer at Robottom Mortuary in Louisiana. "I want to give them that lifelike appearance that's going to be everlasting." Sanders, an African-American embalmer, works primarily on bodies of loved ones from the black community. He said African Americans are traditionally more concerned about appearance and neatness during open-casket presentations of their loved ones. Black people are very particular about the way they look and dress," he said. "Their expectation of being perfectly manicured in life is the same in death." Sometimes, he said, their expectations are even greater in death. Sanders says makeup helps enhance a natural complexion. For years, black morticians have been challenged to hone their artistry skills. Their work often involved masking the effects of violent deaths, such as lynchings. But some of the bodies from Hurricane Katrina were so badly decomposed they tested even the best of skills, Sanders said. "We couldn't do anything because some of the bodies weren't allowed for public viewing," he said. "Families had to make a choice to cremate the bodies because of the stench and other sanitary issues." In most cases, Sanders said, the process of embalming takes about three hours from start to finish. He disinfects and bathes the body, and washes the hair. Embalming fluid is injected into an artery while the blood is drained from a nearby vein or from the heart. After the body is embalmed, he dresses it, removes wild hair from the eyebrows and chin, and cleans the fingernails. He says he aims to make the body tissue somewhat soft and pliable. Touch and feel are important for children to understand the process of death, Sanders said. His says his goal is to please families of the deceased. Sanders said he hopes to make them proud. "The ultimate compliment is to hear, 'Mama looks good' or 'Daddy looks like he's sleeping,'" he said. http://www.orovillemr.com/news/bayarea/ci_3624031

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Taphophilia?

taphophilia (taf′ō-fil′ē-ă)

ORIGIN:
From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"

DEFINITION: 1. An excessive interest in graves and cemeteries. 2. A love or fondness for funerals, graves, and cemeteries. 3. In psychiatry, a morbid attraction to graves and cemeteries