GENERAL A. For the purpose of this standard a competent authority shall mean a physician, a justice of the peace, or an official from the medical examiner’s office. (This definition will vary by state.) B. Employees shall treat the body of a deceased patient with care and dignity regardless of the patient’s age, gender, race or sexual orientation or the circumstances surrounding the death. C.…
The secrecy of the process of embalming is attributed by the gruesomeness of the subject. Not all people have the stomach to know what goes on when embalming, therefore, it is very difficult to find information regarding this process. 3. According to Mitford, the mortician’s intent is to make the body presentable for viewing.…
The principle of autonomy makes provisions that are continually being ignored when the use of unclaimed bodies is being made a major part in the study of anatomical perspectives in medicine. Anatomical dissection is an honored part of medical education, therefore, ethical uncertainties need to be addressed. However, similarly to the use of human tissue for research, the use of human cadavers for training and teaching purposes remains to be a valuable gift that needs to be ethically and legally appreciated. Ethical considerations revolve around the value placed on the human body and the attitudes of the society towards the dead body. This is because a person is closely identified with his or her body and the two cannot be separated even after death.…
This selection is taken from a book talking about the practices of morgues and funeral homes. Author Jessica Mitford brings to light the process of embalming. Embalming is taking all of the natural fluids out of a dead person and replacing them with a preserving fluid. After doing so organs, limbs, and other features are replaced to make the body look as presentable as possible. I think the process of embalming is a little ridiculous.…
Crematorium Embalmer: The lady at the crematorium showed us the crematory machine and went through what happened to the bodies inside them. She also went in depth into the world of embalming and how that was done. She showed us the two chemicals added to the bodies in preparation for their funerals, that were preservatives called arterials and formalin. The funeral director also informed us all that when someone loses their teeth to drug addiction, she has a plastic insert that is placed between their jaw bones to imitate teeth for their visiting hours.…
In almost every society known to man, the dead are treated with an equal balance of respect and fear. The beliefs pertaining afterlife and spirits differ from society to society, but what remains constant is the desire to celebrate the life of the deceased, and to treat the body and the name of the dead with respect, which is often achieved through funerary rites and proceedings. In Rome during the 1st and 2nd Century, there was a careful balance of the respect held for the dead and the fear involved, as they believed that the dead had the power to introduce negativity to the air around them, if treated disrespectfully. As a result of this, funeral rites were well followed and were carried out by those from all walks of society, whether rich…
Death With Dignity: A Commentary Sergej Jagodin Millersville University Medical Aid in Dying: A Commentary The ability to choose when to die is not a topic that is heavily discussed throughout a person’s life. What constitutes dying early and on one’s own terms? Is it moral? Is it right?…
No matter the circumstances or age, death is never easy and I feel a need and passion to do whatever I can to honor the deceased while also providing support and guidance to each and every family I serve. The ability to be responsible for quality and respectful services which allow the family to have no concerns or worries during a very difficult time is crucial, and I want nothing more than to be able to provide those services day in and day out. Having the honor to sit with families during some the most difficult days they will ever have to face while also providing comfort to each and every family so they do not feel alone is something I will strive for. I want families to be able to open up to me, let out their fear and anger so I can help them, guide them, comfort them and support them every step of the…
Sometimes it is tough to incorporate demands of clients or family members especially when it involves certain ritual when a loved one passed away. Nurses must look beyond their personal beliefs, values and norms in order to accommodate other people's cultures that we are not even familiar with. "Nurses’ responsibility for cultural safety must include paying attention to the disparities in health care; more specifically, to improving health care access for all nations; acknowledging that people are all bearers of culture; exposing the social, political, and historical context of health care; and disrupting unequal power…
The legality of the embalming process, how well and respectfully is the body really taken care off by the funeral directors is unknown. Mitford argues that the law does not support the process of embalming. Permission is not sought from either next of kin or the deceased before death and this questions the entire legality of the whole process of embalming that funeral directors are conducting year round in an industry worth billions. Mitford points out that “Americans…each year pay hundreds of millions of dollars for its perpetuation, blissfully ignorant of what it is all about, what is done, [and] how it is done” (128). The misinformed people who pay for these services do not know how their beloved one who has died is being altered, as society does not tell the funeral director or embalmer how to prepare the body, resulting in “one in ten thousand [having no] idea of what actually takes place.…
Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church followers believed that God punishes U.S.A for its tolerance on homosexuality especially in the military. To show their beliefs, Phelps and his followers used to show up at military funerals to protest against such acts. One of the military funerals they showed up in belonged to Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, the son to Albert Snyder (Court, 2011). They caused controversy by showing up at the funeral displaying signs such as “Thank God for dead soldiers,” “God hates the U.S.A” among many others to pass their message. At first Albert Snyder was not aware of the information portrayed until he saw the story of funeral on the news.…
The Embalming of Mr. Jones is an article that was written by Jessica Mitford who was born in Basford Mansion, England in 1917. She was born in a very wealthy family but refused to be under her family’s upbringing. She later joined politics and moved to the United States of America as an immigrant. Embalming is simply the process that is carried out between death and the burial of a dead body to preserve it from decomposing, Mitford explains the process that Mr. Jones underwent.…
Drew Gilpin Faust’s This Republic of Suffering: Death and The American Civil War is an ambitious and thought provoking read. Faust tackles a subject that has not been widely written about: the “death ways” of the American Civil War generation.2 Faust divides her study of the newly transformed ars moriendi into nine areas in the chapters that follow her preface entitled the Work of Death. The actual process of an individual soldier’s death is explained in Dying.…
Ethical principles are not laws, but guiding principles about what is good and what is bad, that should direct doctors and other health care professionals in their work and decision making. Issues arising over end-of-life care involving decisions that affect the nature and timing of an individual's death raise difficult ethical conflicts for all concerned and can be a source of discord between health professionals within a team, health professionals and family members, or between different family members. Ethical dilemmas arise when there is a perceived conflicting duty to the patient, such as a conflict between a duty to preserve life and a duty to act in a patient's best interests, or when an ethical principle such as respect for autonomy conflicts with a duty not to…
Planning a funeral for a loved one can be difficult, especially if part of your responsibility is to choose between burial and cremation services. Serving greater Medford, NY and surrounding areas, McManus-Lorey Funeral Home provides thoughtful, caring service during the funeral planning process, and can help you as you make these challenging decisions. It’s always helpful to discuss the subject with supportive family members, as you might be able to glean some valuable opinions that you may not consider during your understandable time of grief. If you are planning the funeral services, take some time to weigh the factors involved in burying or cremating your loved one.…