I just got a gallon of #metricide. It contains like 2% #glutaraldehyde. It's supposed to be the most potent #crosslinking agent for #gelatin in #carbontransfer. I'm hoping that this fixes my luck with this #photography #process. I'm kind of #procrastinating on this. I've failed like 3 times already and I'm afraid of success I guess. But maybe it's time to break the cycle. How will I know it's working? I'm gonna mix black color into a sample and then try to dissolve it in #water.

#FuneralFactFriday: Bodies Can Turn GREEN 🍀

Yes, it’s true, and not just on St. Patrick’s Day. It happens when a person with jaundice is embalmed using high index formaldehyde fluids.

Jaundice is a yellow discoloration found in both living and dead people. It's caused by a buildup of bile pigments in the skin, eyes, bodily fluids, and tissue, often resulting from problems with the liver, gallbladder, or pancreas. A person with liver failure, cirrhosis, or hepatitis is often yellow tinged.

During embalming, formaldehyde can change the yellow bilirubin into green biliverdin. It can range from mild to moderate to extreme. Special embalming fluids (like glutaraldehyde) exist to help mitigate the color issues, but the primary concern is preservation. Color correction is secondary. If the color can’t be addressed with proper fluids and internal dyes, we can use cosmetics and colored lighting to help mask the green.

Fun fact: old school embalmers perpetuated a belief that we could flush jaundiced bodies with milk before injecting embalming fluid. That’s just preposterous. Don’t do that!

#HisAndHearsePress #StPatricksDay #Green #StPaddysDay #StPattysDay #WearGreen #Jaundice #Embalming #MortuaryScience #MortuarySchool #Formaldehyde #Glutaraldehyde #Funeral