Do you work alone as a mortician?

Many people believe that morticians only work with the dead, but the truth is, they often (and at times, more often) work with the living. Morticians and funeral directors work closely with the family and friends of the deceased.

Do funeral directors sew the mouth shut?

Morticians stuff the throat and nose with cotton and then suture the mouth shut, either using a curved needle and thread to stitch between the jawbone and nasal cavity or using a needle injector machine to accomplish a similar job more quickly.

Are bodies kept at funeral directors?

The body will be kept in the funeral directors mortuary (sometimes referred to as the chapel of rest), using refrigeration to help preserve the body; it will remain here until the funeral. You may, of course, visit the body by arrangement with the funeral director.

Is a mortician and an embalmer the same?

For most people the terms funeral director, mortician, undertaker, and embalmer are used interchangeably. The terms mortician and undertaker are synonymous with funeral director.

How long does a coffin last in the ground?

If the coffin is sealed in a very wet, heavy clay ground, the body tends to last longer because the air is not getting to the deceased. If the ground is light, dry soil, decomposition is quicker. Generally speaking, a body takes 10 or 15 years to decompose to a skeleton.

Is being a mortician depressing?

The job is physically and emotionally draining. Youre also sometimes on call during the middle of the night — not every hospital has a refrigeration system to keep bodies overnight — which can eat into your sleep schedule. Its emotionally exhausting as well.

Are eyeballs removed during embalming?

We dont remove them. You can use what is called an eye cap to put over the flattened eyeball to recreate the natural curvature of the eye. You can also inject tissue builder directly into the eyeball and fill it up. And sometimes, the embalming fluid will fill the eye to normal size.

Do they sew corpses eyes shut?

Mouths are sewn shut from the inside. Eyes are dried and plastic is kept under the eyelids to maintain a natural shape. After the embalming, the body is washed. The body is dressed before being place in a coffin and sometimes two or three people will dress the body.

Do coffins filled with water?

The water in the graves seriously affects the coffins already buried. Coffins are not watertight so when the grave fills with water it also fills the coffin, which decomposes and rots the bodies faster.