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  • Ask a Mortitian

    I know you all are aware I'm in school for Mortuary Science. So, technically, it's ask a student. I definitely don't know everything yet. But I've been working in a funeral home and in school for six months. So, any questions?
    We are what we are. Nothing more, nothing less. There is good and evil among every kind of people. It's the evil among us who rule now. -Anne Bishop, Daughter of the Blood

    I wondered if he could ever understand that it was a blessing, not a sin, to be graced with more than one love.
    It could be complicated; of course it could be complicated. And it opened one up to the possibility of more pain and loss.
    Still, it was a blessing I would never relinquish. Love, genuine love, was always a cause for joy.
    -Jacqueline Carey, Naamah's Curse

    Service to your fellows is the root of peace.

  • #2
    Re: Ask a Mortitian

    very interesting,great topic
    MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

    all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
    NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
    don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




    sigpic

    my new page here,let me know what you think.


    nothing but the shadow of what was

    witchvox
    http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Ask a Mortitian

      What would you say is the most challenging aspect of your role?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Ask a Mortitian

        speaking on this once i was almost a morgue attendant,moving bodies and like that.
        MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

        all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
        NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
        don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




        sigpic

        my new page here,let me know what you think.


        nothing but the shadow of what was

        witchvox
        http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Ask a Mortitian

          Originally posted by Shahaku View Post
          I know you all are aware I'm in school for Mortuary Science. So, technically, it's ask a student. I definitely don't know everything yet. But I've been working in a funeral home and in school for six months. So, any questions?
          What is your opinion on the afterlife?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Ask a Mortitian

            How do you prepare a person for viewing? I mean, I guess what I am asking is what goes into embalming a person? I hope I'm not being too gross.
            Anubisa

            Dedicated and devoted to Lord Anubis and Lady Bast. A follower of the path of Egyptian Wicca.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Ask a Mortitian

              Originally posted by Torey View Post
              What would you say is the most challenging aspect of your role?
              For me, it's learning to interact with grieving families. I become interested in the job as an embalmer/because I wanted to care for our beloved dead. I didn't really think about the funeral directing/ coping with families side of it at first. It's extremely important, and some would say the more important role. But I'm not a people person naturally, so that's been very challenging.

              Originally posted by Bartmanhomer View Post
              What is your opinion on the afterlife?
              I have mixed feelings. I do believe in ghosts, or at least residual energy. I haven't seen any evidence of that in this field, but I have in the past, working at a hospital. I also believe that people end up in an afterlife that aligns with their beliefs, to an extent. I guess I'm hard polytheistic enough to believe that there are different afterlife's for different religions.

              Originally posted by anubisa View Post
              How do you prepare a person for viewing? I mean, I guess what I am asking is what goes into embalming a person? I hope I'm not being too gross.
              Not at all. Though this will get a bit detailed, for the squeamish who may not be interested. Generally when a person passes away, one of two things happen. Either the family decided to have a direct cremation/burial or they decide to have the deceased embalmed for viewing. This isn't required in all states (in fact, I don't think it's legally required in most states) but embalming is required from many funeral homes for liability reasons.

              The deceased is transferred from the place of death, to the funeral home, and into an embalming room. Typically, there are very strict rules on who can enter the embalming room, again for liability. They are placed on a table that drains away the blood and fluid that is run through the body. A two inch or so incision is made on the collar bone, and from there the skin is lifted until we can access the carotid artery. A tube with a metal tip is inserted into the carotid, and that is attached to a machine that has a mix of water, coloring agents, and embalming fluid. Some people then make an incision in the jugular to drain the blood and excess embalming fluid. At my funeral home, typically a trocar suction is inserted into the abdomen, through the diaphragm, and into the heart. Excess fluid is drained directly from the heart.

              The embalming fluid also has a coloring agent. That stained the skin as it flows through the capillaries, hopefully returning the body to natural color. It also helps with the coloring of the nails. Sometimes, even with the coloring agents in the fluid, parts of the body will remain gray. While the embalming fluid is running, we wash the body, hair, clean under the nails, etc. Once the fluid has gone through the body and that process is done, a second high-powered embalming fluid is injected into the abdomen, lungs, etc to stop decomposition there.

              Once that is done, we place a trocar plug in the whole in the abdomen and sew shut the incision on the collarbone. The incisions are often filled with a moisture absorbing/sealing powder to prevent any leakage. We then place a diaper on the deceased in case of leakage, and cover them with a hospital gown. Moisturizing lotion is put on their face to prevent it from drying out prior to viewing. Once their clothes arrive, they are dressed and placed in the agreed casket, make-up and hair are done, and any cosmetic alterations needed are done. Sometimes when the decease had been ill for awhile material is added under the skin to fill in the hollows a little bit. I can't remember what it's called, but it's basically a liquid injection that hardens on contact with the fluid in the body. There's also wax treatments that can be used to cover trauma (cuts, scrapes, etc.) All of that is things I'll be learning next summer, when I take restorative art.
              We are what we are. Nothing more, nothing less. There is good and evil among every kind of people. It's the evil among us who rule now. -Anne Bishop, Daughter of the Blood

              I wondered if he could ever understand that it was a blessing, not a sin, to be graced with more than one love.
              It could be complicated; of course it could be complicated. And it opened one up to the possibility of more pain and loss.
              Still, it was a blessing I would never relinquish. Love, genuine love, was always a cause for joy.
              -Jacqueline Carey, Naamah's Curse

              Service to your fellows is the root of peace.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Ask a Mortitian

                Cool. Thanks for letting me know. I told my parents that I wanted to be cremated because I want half of myself to be buried with my grandpa on my dad's side and half with my parents. Crazy.
                Anubisa

                Dedicated and devoted to Lord Anubis and Lady Bast. A follower of the path of Egyptian Wicca.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Ask a Mortitian

                  Originally posted by anubisa View Post
                  Cool. Thanks for letting me know. I told my parents that I wanted to be cremated because I want half of myself to be buried with my grandpa on my dad's side and half with my parents. Crazy.
                  Yeah. I think I would rather be cremated as well. Your parents will have to talk with the funeral home where your grandparents are buried though. Likely there will be a fee of some kind to bury your ashes on their land. My girlfriend wants to be turned into a tree. There are these pods that basically are filled with ashes, which feed the trees initial growth, and therefore, you become a tree. This: https://www.boredpanda.com/bios-urn-...mpaign=organic
                  We are what we are. Nothing more, nothing less. There is good and evil among every kind of people. It's the evil among us who rule now. -Anne Bishop, Daughter of the Blood

                  I wondered if he could ever understand that it was a blessing, not a sin, to be graced with more than one love.
                  It could be complicated; of course it could be complicated. And it opened one up to the possibility of more pain and loss.
                  Still, it was a blessing I would never relinquish. Love, genuine love, was always a cause for joy.
                  -Jacqueline Carey, Naamah's Curse

                  Service to your fellows is the root of peace.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Ask a Mortitian

                    This guy might be able to help.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Ask a Mortitian

                      Originally posted by Shahaku View Post
                      Yeah. I think I would rather be cremated as well. Your parents will have to talk with the funeral home where your grandparents are buried though. Likely there will be a fee of some kind to bury your ashes on their land. My girlfriend wants to be turned into a tree. There are these pods that basically are filled with ashes, which feed the trees initial growth, and therefore, you become a tree. This: https://www.boredpanda.com/bios-urn-...mpaign=organic
                      That's a beautiful way to be buried It's like you live on, but as a tree.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Ask a Mortitian

                        When i was nurse i prepared many people for the morgue. At what point and in what condition do you receive people from hospitals?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Ask a Mortitian

                          I do not believe in ghosts,here in this senior building we have had 3 deaths this week,expected because of very old residents here.,but no sign of any ghost.
                          MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

                          all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
                          NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
                          don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




                          sigpic

                          my new page here,let me know what you think.


                          nothing but the shadow of what was

                          witchvox
                          http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Ask a Mortitian

                            Originally posted by prometheus View Post
                            When i was nurse i prepared many people for the morgue. At what point and in what condition do you receive people from hospitals?
                            Typically we receive the deceased same day. Occasionally, if cause of death was unknown, they'll go to autopsy first, which is handled by either the county or state medical examiner. As a student, my human anatomy labs were are the state medical examiners labs, and it was definitely interesting. I saw much more decomp there than I have working for the funeral home. Typically, we're looking at decomp cases if they come from the medical examiner, or if we're picking up from a home. Hospitals are really good about getting the deceased into a fridge if there's going to be a delay.

                            Originally posted by anunitu View Post
                            I do not believe in ghosts,here in this senior building we have had 3 deaths this week,expected because of very old residents here.,but no sign of any ghost.
                            I would say it's really hit or miss and not a common occurrence. And I don't really have proof, just some anecdotal experience. Odd things that happen at the hospital I work at. I've had things move, and not just a little bit. I had a trash can sound like it was kicked and watched it move across the room untouched (I was the only person there and was across the room, and the area I work in is secured. There's a very loud beep any time someone comes in). I also saw a cart roll several feet before stopping, reversing direction and rolling backward several feet, before stopping and rolling forward again. There have been some less obvious things, like items falling off shelves that had been stable for days, which could be put down the the carts being bumped or something similar.

                            There are also some tech things that could be put down to glitching, but everyone thinks it's the spirit that hangs out down there. A testing machine we have will go off randomly, then shut itself off whenever someone gets close to it. There's a paper towel dispenser that's electronic that you'll hear dispensing paper as you leave the bathroom (single entry, single stall bathroom, so it's easy to know that no one else was in the there). Just weird things.

                            But like I said, it's all anecdotal, experiences. It's enough that I really believe that there's a ghost (or, even just some weird energy phenomenon) but there's something.




                            Also, I'm not so tired right now, so I thought I'd go into a little more detail on my beliefs about the afterlife for Bart. So, I definitely believe that there's an afterlife. And I do think that there is some form of rebirth. Whether that rebirth happens here on this planet or not I don't feel so confident about. I also believe that there are multiple afterlife realms just like there are multiple systems of belief. Which is strange because I also believe that most named deities are also faces of a single archetype. It's a contradiction that I haven't quiet come to terms with yet. I think part of why I believe that way is because different people would need different things from the afterlife. Some would just need a short break, some would need a lot of time to recoup, expectations would be different from one culture to another, etc.

                            I don't believe in the Christian heaven/hell realms, at least not as they're understood by the majority of the world. Both Mormons (which we can all doubt the validity of their faith, but shrug) and Muslims believe that there are multiple levels of heaven and hell and that they aren't so black and white (bliss or punishment). And the ancient Jews believed that there was an underworld, called Sheol, that was where the spirits of the dead went, but it wasn't a place that was good or bad, it was just a place, a shadow of the real world. So I take huge issue with the modern day Christian view of heaven and hell.
                            We are what we are. Nothing more, nothing less. There is good and evil among every kind of people. It's the evil among us who rule now. -Anne Bishop, Daughter of the Blood

                            I wondered if he could ever understand that it was a blessing, not a sin, to be graced with more than one love.
                            It could be complicated; of course it could be complicated. And it opened one up to the possibility of more pain and loss.
                            Still, it was a blessing I would never relinquish. Love, genuine love, was always a cause for joy.
                            -Jacqueline Carey, Naamah's Curse

                            Service to your fellows is the root of peace.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Ask a Mortitian

                              my son described this building as a mausoleum in his thoughts.

                              - - - Updated - - -

                              one guy died in the summer,with no air conditioning and they found him after 5 weeks.
                              MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

                              all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
                              NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
                              don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




                              sigpic

                              my new page here,let me know what you think.


                              nothing but the shadow of what was

                              witchvox
                              http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

                              Comment

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