Jessica Mitford wrote a book, entitled "The Embalming of Mr. Jones," about the malpractices of funeral homes. The specific excerpt that I read described how bodies are embalmed. She wrote this to explain to the general public, who at the time were uneducated about what happens in funeral homes, about the exact way a body is embalmed and placed for display. Her book brought a better awareness to what really goes on in funeral homes. This made the government realize they must be more involved with what goes on, because funeral homes are just like any other businesses in addition to that they can increase the chances of creating a public health risk.
Embalming is a practice that has been done for ages. I believe that modern-day embalming techniques work splendidly. I have attended four funerals in my life, and each of the deceased looked so peaceful and healthy in their caskets. This appearance is really one of allusion, but it is worth it because of the comfort it provides for the deceased's loved ones. Viewings are just a nice tradition. If we stopped having viewings, what would happen to the bodies of the deceased? They would be stored in a morgue until placed in a casket and buried. This reminds me too much of the past practice of tossing dead bodies, wrapped in sheets, into burial pits. It just seems too cold and uncivilized. .
On the other hand, when I asked my family their opinion on embalming and viewings, the consensus seemed to be "Viewings are for the living." My mother, in particular, was most against it. She did not understand what the purpose was of draining a body of its blood and filling it up with chemicals. She figured all you needed to do was put an excess amount of make up on to make the deceased look more alive. I explained to her what I read in Jessica Mitford's essay about embalming, but she still stuck to her opinion. Despite my family's reaction to my questionings, I know that not one of them would even think of not being embalmed or having a funeral after they or any of their loved ones died.
