History of Embalming / and of Preparations in Anatomy, Pathology, and Natural History; Including an Account of a New Process for Embalming

The narrative surveys embalming from antiquity to the author's era, tracing natural mummification and deliberate techniques practiced by Egyptians, Guanches, Greeks, Romans, and modern Europeans. It examines materials and procedures—desiccants, resins, oils, bituminous substances, and cavity treatments—compares empirical methods and scientific experiments, and records chemical and climatic causes of preservation. Descriptions of practical anatomical and natural-history preparations are combined with the author's experiments that develop and justify a new embalming process, supported by analyses, observations, and illustrations of preserved specimens. Chapters discuss analytical tables, case studies, and methodological recommendations for preservative practice and anatomical instruction.