Vocabulary Words

agency/organization with responsibility to accredit colleges of mortuary

early Roman view of the afterlife which emphasizes the soul as the vital principle. The soul at death hovered around the place of burial and required constant attention of the descendants to be happy. Neglect would bring evil upon them.

human shaped; some early coffins were described as anthroidal shaped

Egyptian god of embalming said to be of human fom with the head of a jackal

approximately 1540-1745 were the sole agency permitted to embalm and perform anatomical dissections in the city of London

Forerunner of today's hearse; a hand stretcher on which the uncoffined body was carried to the grave

the practice of treating illness(es) by opening veins to release the "bad blood or humors"

generic term used in America to designate all burial receptacles as new variations of the coffin were being offered

created in 1800's London by the poor people as a means to afford funerals; costs were shared by others via weekly collections; were the forerunners of the industrial insurance

outer enclosure for caskets placed in the grave; originally intended to prevent grave robbery

required that woolen cloth be substituted for linen in the shroud and lining of the coffin; was an attempt to shift the use of imported linen to the expanding paper industry of England and provided customers for the wool industry. Heavy fines were assessed for violations; not repealed until 1814.

jars made of alabaster, limestone, basalt, clay and other materials used by the ealy egyptians to store viscera of the deceased

organization of the casket manufacturers intended to facilitate sharing of information (now known as the Casket and Funeral Supply Association)

term meaning Jewl box or container for something valuable; came into dominant use in patent literature for burial receptacles in 1890's in America

originated in ancient Rome as excavated cemeteries cut out of soft rock for the tombs of wealthy Christians; later became a place for religious rites to avoid persecution

cloth treated with melted wax or gummy matter and formely used especially for wrapping a dead body

Edwin Chadwich in the 1840's reported on unsanitary conditions in London created by intramural burials and the high cost of funerals

• 1. cemetery
• 2. a building or chamber in which bodies or bones are deposited

ancient Egyptian belief that the soul of the deceased would make a 3000 year journey and return to the body. Once reunited the whole man would live with the gods. This belief created the need for embalming.

utilitarian container designed to hold human remains

portable table on which the body was placed while the corpse cooler was in use; later became the embalming table when embalming was done in the home of deceased

type of ice chest placed over the torso of the body to slow down the process of decomposition prior to the funeral. it was typically a responsibility of the undertaker to provide ice and change the ice when it melted.

funeral procession

method of disposing of the dead body via fire; first attributed to the ancient Greeks.

English custom of Middle Ages which lasted until 19th century; perso nwho walked the street calling out the name of the deceased and asking people to pray for the soul of the departed

master of ceremonies and director of the ancient Roman funeral procession

disposition of the remains without any rites or ceremonies

traveling salesman who went from town to town selling their products. Early embalmers often obtained their products and training in this manner

a life-sized, waxen recreation (dummy) of the deceased; often used at state funeals because the body of the decased should be present for the funeral, but could no be preserved for that lenght of time. (Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum or Lenin in his tomb)

body and soul, composed of atoms, simply disintergrate at death so man in the afterlife is no different than before life. Afterlife expected only for heros, the nobility and the rich.

burial outside the walls of the city

patented in 1848 as form-fitting, airtight metallic coffin designed to improve ability to preserve the body; also had a glass plate to allow the viewing of the face

latin for torchlight procession; the word funeral is derived from this

in middle ages the wake also served as feast to welcome the principal heir to his new estate

a specially designed train car run on a city's trolley line to transport casket & mourners to cemeteries on the outskirts of the city

provided services of organizing and facilitating funeral details as an occupation; aka undertaker, different from furnishing undertaker.

provided supplies and merchandise (i.e. doorbadges, carriages, etc.) to funeral undertakers who were dealing directly with the public. Furnishings undertakers filled the role of the middle man.

a mechanical method to apply embalming solution by elevating a bowl of liquid attached by a tube

method to apply a continuous flow of embalming solution via manual manipulation of a handheld mechanism

today, a vehicle specially designed to transport casketed remains; derived from French word, herse; originally a staionary framework of wood to hold candles and decorations placed on the coffin; forerunner was a bier and hearse and bier wee used interchangeably until mid 19th century

a specialty connected with funerals in colonial america; called personally upon those expected to attend funerals; often a municipal appointment

chartered in 1928 to secure harmony in the profession amoung Jewish funeral directors and elevated the practice of the profession

became an occupational specialty in many larger US cities by the end of the 18th century; predecessor to the undertaker

formed in the middle ages by lay persons to bury the dead and to pray for the souls of the faithful departed

the ancient roman goddess of corpses and funerals

head undertaker in ancient Rome; the secular role model for today's funeral director; conducted his business at the temple of Libitina where death were also registered

due to the fea of pre-mature burial, many early American coffins were designed and patented with a method to alert the living if someone was buried alive

ancient Viking custome; after deceased was placed in his boat with items necessary for the spirit to maintain the position held on earth, all was cremated and the pyre then covered with earth

religious/philosophicalbelief of the ancient Greeks and Oriental East emphasizing spirtual aspects of the afterlife and the hope of joining the cult god in a wonderful existence in eternity.

cloth covered coffin designed for ex-president US Grant by Stein Coffin Co. in 1885 and helped elevate acceptance of cloth covered caskets

mortuary fee

or embalmer to the trade; term orignated when some of the original graduates of early embalming courses gave up regular employment with a single firm to provide embalming service to firms which had no trained embalmer

long hollow tube patented in 1868 by Samuel Rogers of Philadelphia; used by embalmers to inject fluids into cavitites and remove excess liquids

original term applied those whose occupation included responsibility to organize and facilitate funeral activities; used interchangeably (by some) for the term funeral director

name given to the vehicle used by undertakers to transport the necessary mortuary paraphernalia to the homes where funerals were typically held. These vehicles sometimes had apperance similar to hearse, but were much less ornate.

first formal organization of undertakers; originated in Philadelphia, January 1864

organization of college & university based funeral service programs

originated as an ancient Hebrew practice, family and friends sit with the deceased as a precaution agaist premature burial; continued as an act of peity in Middle ages (aka vigil for the dead)

important in the introduction and developement of early funeral transportation

he patented a process of embalming involving the injection of an arsenic-alcohol mixture

a long pleated arrangement of linen worn by a window during the Middle Ages. The arrangement resembled a beard.

the individual to receive the first American patent on a metallic coffin in 1836

they received one of the first patents for a corpse cooler/cooling board during the 19th Century

started one of the first coffin shop/warehouses in New York City

influential individuals in the developement of mortuary school and education in the 19th Century

considered an innovator in the field of Restorative Art