Cadaver dissection is very important for anatomy training. However, another other thing that is just as important is preserving the cadaver for a long time without decomposition. Therefore, embalming techniques have been developed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the embalming techniques of anatomists during the Renaissance.
It was forbidden to use cadavers in medical schools in the Dark Ages. The Renaissance was a period of freedom in medicine and anatomy as well as in other fields. In this period, anatomists developed various embalming techniques.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) used a mixture of turpentine, lavender, vermilion, wine, rosin, sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate in the embalming process. He also injected wax into ventricles. Jacobus Berengar (1470-1550) injected hot water into veins. Bartholomeo Eustachius (1520-1574) used hot ink. Frederic Rusch (1638-1731), a German anatomist, was the first person who embalmed a cadaver by injecting a chemical preservative solution into the bloodstream. However, his technique is unknown. Dr. William Hunter (1718-1783) was the first person to perform arterial injection to prevent decomposition of cadavers. Guiseppe Tranchina (1797-1837) successfully used arsenic solution for arterial injection. His technique was the first procedure ever performed without eviscerating the body. In 1876, the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann discovered formaldehyde, the basis of modern embalming. Formaldehyde, ethanol and methanol are still the basic elements of modern embalming.
Researchers are still investigating methods of embalming using more effective but less toxic liquids.
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