Funeral embalming: the transformation of a medical innovation

This paper studies the trajectory of modern embalming, considered as a technical
innovation in the treatment of dead bodies, across time and societies. Tracing the
history of technical innovations, it examines the evolution of embalming from the
fi eld of medical science to its re-appropriation by a secular sphere (funeral sector). The
central role of material culture in the spread of innovative embalming techniques is
underlined, and notably the leading role of commercial networks and industrial actors
as they support the growth of embalmers while products, equipment and technical
know-how are normalized. On the basis of the contemporary funeral organization,
the analysis explores how embalming has become part of the cooperative chain
surrounding death. It describes how embalming innovation entails a set of ‘alignments’
(Strauss, 1988) in the management of corpse care, supporting various standardization
processes, which are both practical and symbolic. Finally, the establishment of a
professional body of embalmers points to a new inter-professional interpretation of
the corpse and of death care, radically changing the interface between the medical
world and the funeral world.

Keywords: Embalming, Innovation, History