'What are you doing here, hey Georgina?'

Sudden death always results in a post mortem examination; typically a third of all deaths.   The local coroners officer liaises with the family of the deceased and the Coroner will request a post mortem and follow it up with an inquest if necessary.  

For there to be a cause of death, all organs have to be removed by a mortician and then dissected and examined by a pathologist.   How much of a role the mortician has differs in each medical facility.  Certainly, the longer serving and better qualified morticians are trusted colleagues of the pathologists and their opinions are well valued.  

Take for example, someone who has died without suspicious circumstances or trauma.  Perhaps they seem to have had a stroke, but because they have no recent history regarding this, a post mortem is required.   The mortician will remove all organs and prepare them for the pathologist.  

This image, taken from Wiki, shows the brain in situ after the back of the cranium has been removed.  

The brain is removed by the mortician and placed ready for the pathologist to dissect to assist in ascertaining the cause of death.

The pathologist confirms the cause of death (probably from a clot in the brain but don't ask me how, I have no idea) and the mortician can now replace all organs back into the trunk.  The brain is also placed into the abdominal cavity as it is completely unhygienic and impractical to attempt replacement in the cranium. Cotton wool is placed in the cranium, throat area and pelvic bowl and the incisions, both trunk and skull, are sutured to return the deceased to a dignified and complete state.

The hair is washed and dried and the body is also washed, dried and dressed in a shroud.  This is usually a plain white cotton 'kaftan' style garment which easily and respectfully clothes the deceased.  

So, now its my turn.

I am unable to embalm from one point as the circuit of blood vessels has been broken by the removal of organs and dissection of tissues.  I must reopen the sutures, clean and treat the organs, dispose of the cotton wool and replace with fresh.  I intubate each main vessel individually in order to send the fluids to the tissues.   To embalm each leg, buttock and sections of the trunk and lower sections of the back I must locate the iliac arteries and intubate and inject them.   To embalm each arm, chest wall, breast and upper sections of the back I must locate the subclavian arteries and intubate and inject them.  To embalm each side of the face, neck and scalp I must locate the carotid arteries and intubate and inject them.  

The problems with doing this are varied and extensive, too detailed for a blog, but safe to say it doesn't always work as we would hope.   Skills developed over many years still leave an embalmer sweating, trying to find teeny, tiny facial arteries to ensure the jaw and lips and tip of the nose receive adequate fluid.    All of this vessel searching means we lean right into the deceased, desperately trying to achieve good fluid distribution and adequate preservation.

So when my lady in chapel last week was visited by her husband and his opening words were 'What are you doing here, hey Georgina?'   and he completely let go to a relieved sobbing,  the frustration and hard work felt completely worth it.

Are you affected? Yet?

I hope my friend doesn't mind me using her as the subject of this update.   We had drinks on Saturday night and as she is a friend of a friend she wasn't aware of my career.   So it was all the usual questions and she said she would love to read my blog and chat with me more on Facebook.

She read my blog the following day and asked me a question which I don't think I have discussed much on here.

'I'm most curious as to whether what you do has changed how you feel about death and dying.

 Are you less scared of it yourself? Do you feel differently about the deaths of loved ones?'

I am lucky enough to have spent many years in meditation groups. They were also spiritual and self development groups which built on the basics I developed as a child as I was always involved in spiritual debate at home.  So I don't know if I would ever have had a traditional slant on death to be honest. My great great grandmother was a medium and her husband a herbalist. Its in the blood I guess!!!!

I lost a close friend at 16 and close uncle 8 years after that, then grandparents and older friends so with each loss came a general understanding that we return to the source when our time here is spent.  My friends first funeral ever was her fathers, how awful is that? Never experiencing a loss until it was one which would leave her so raw. Almost torturous. I am so very grateful of my life experiences in that way.

So,  I look at my deceased and know they are not here. This body is a car we drive until we move to another way of transport. The fact that we look after it whilst we drive it means that I will also look after it, so that people that knew the external features can wave it off if they so desire. But inside, that is our essence and our true self. I find it hard to see it as something final, so yes, I do think my work changes the way I view loss. But its about so much more than my job. When my dear uncle died, I remember looking up into the sky during his funeral, wondering where he was and if he had finally let go. He was very cross you see, and I know dying was a painful experience for him.   How we die is probably more of a fear for me, how people I love will die. Rather than the fact that I cant be with them on earth.


I would love to know if reading this blog has changed any of your positions on death, dying and funerals dear reader.  Please let me know.   Also, is there anything you would like me to discuss on here that we haven't touched on yet, or would like expanded?