Embalming...?

Question

I went to a wake the other day for my friend ,God bless his soul. I noticed when I got up to the casket that his hands and face(parts that were visible) seemed to be smaller than when he was alvie. Is this caused from the chemicals thata are put through the body for embalming? It also seemed like the overall body itself was also smaller.

Thanks for the help.

Josh

Answer 1

Many deceased persons will look smaller in their coffins and especially the big american caskets. Your friend probably looked smaller as you were not used to seeing him in the laying down position. Embalming fluids will reduce any swellings your friend may have had but, if he was not odemic then these fluids would not have been used. A good embalming will rehydrate the tissues not dehydrate them so i seriously would dismiss embalming as the cause.

Answer 2

No, the body is not smaller.  Did he lose any weight before he died from an illness?  Was he swollen before death at all, maybe due to medications?  The embalming fluid can reduce swelling, so those are the two possibilities.  In and of itself though, embalming fluid doesn't cause people to be smaller.

Answer 3

I suspect that you are seeing the effect of the removal of blood and other fluids from the body by the embalmer.