interview with an embalmer

An Interview With Embalmer Sharon Maher (14 Questions)

Bereavement specialist Sharon Maher answers interesting questions about her experience in working with the dead. Some of the following content may be disturbing for some viewers.

1. In the mummification process, Egyptians pulled out the brain through the nostrils. Do embalmers remove the brain?

do morticians remove the brain

I do not remove the brain, however if a body is autopsied, it is likely the brain would be removed during that process for studying. When the removal of the brain has occurred, than the embalmer will have to pack the empty cavity before suturing the skull back together, otherwise it can settle strangely and will not have a natural look. There is also potential for fluids to leak out. Packing the cavity with cotton creates the “brain” and then we reconstruct the cranium by suture or by using skull clamps. We use cotton in the nose and throat as well in order to avoid purging. read more

bizarre phobias

15 Weird Phobias People Actually Have

We gathered a list of 15 weird phobias you may not believe are possible. Each may not only seem irrational, but also a little insane. Believe it or not, all are real disorders of the mind. Interestingly, it is estimated that over 6 million American people live with a phobia.

research on mice

For decades, scientists have been researching to find answers to why people suffer from such irrational phobias. A Nature Neuroscience study found evidence that may provide a shocking explanation. The surprising results of the experiments explain that a traumatic event could affect DNA in sperm, which could then alter the brains and behavior of future generations. read more

The Living Skeleton

Isaac W. Sprague: The Skeleton Man

Isaac W. Sprague, also known as “The Living Skeleton,” was born on May 21, 1841, in East Bridgewater Massachusetts. He had a normal childhood until his health began deteriorating at age 12. Some early speculation indicated that he may have contracted a bacterial pathogen while swimming, which triggered his subsequent lifelong illness.

emaciated man

Sprague’s disease caused him to be unable to gain weight no matter the nutrients he consumed and he developed progressive muscle wasting and weakness. This combination led to his later famed and exploited skeletal frame in adulthood. It was said that Sprague would always have keep a flask of sugared milk with him at all times to sip on through the day just so he could get steady nutrients so he would not faint or die from starvation. The only official measurement of Sprague was taken by a physician in 1885 when he was 44 years old, where he weighed just 43 pounds at 5 feet 6 inches. read more

Angelo Hays

Angelo Hays: A Man Who Survived After Being Buried Alive For 2 Days

Angelo Hays (born c. 1918, died January 12, 2008) was a Frenchman who became famous for surviving an alleged two-day premature burial, and inventing his own security coffin.

This article was updated on September 27, 2020.

September 1, 1937: The Motorcycle Crash

survived premature burial

On September 1, 1937 (age 19), Hays took a joyride on his motorcycle and fractured his skull. After skidding out of control, he was thrown from the vehicle headfirst into a brick wall. The impact was so severe, his own parents were not aloud to view his body. When doctors examined Hays, they could not find a pulse. He was declared dead, and was laid to rest. read more

Edward Mordrake

Edward Mordrake: Was The Story Fact or Fiction?

This is the dubious story of Mr. Edward Mordrake (also spelled Edward Mordake). Perhaps this one is the strangest story of all deformities in human history.

Article updated by Trina McMillin.

If This Is Mordrake’s Mummified Head, It Would Surely Prove His Existence

two-faced skull

Source: Newsweek

Mordrake, who was a wealthy man from the 1800s, is said to have had the face of his evil twin attached to the back of his head. There has been continued debate as to whether Mordrake was a real man or just a product of fiction writer Charles Hildreth’s imagination; although this debate seemed to have cooled, on April 30, 2018, a Facebook page, Pictures in History, came forward claiming to have a picture of Mordrake’s mummified head, with the evil twin’s face fully intact. read more