Civil War Embalmer

Dr. Benjamin F. Lyford demonstrates the techniques of Civil War era field embalming for audiences of all ages. Jon Austin, portraying Benjamin Franklin Lyford, MD, of Washington City, DC, presents a thirty minute lecture and demonstration of field em...

Dr. Benjamin F. Lyford demonstrates the techniques of Civil War era field embalming for audiences of all ages. Jon Austin, portraying Benjamin Franklin Lyford, MD, of Washington City, DC, presents a thirty minute lecture and demonstration of field embalming that was popularized during the American Civil War, 1861 - 1865. Discussion topics include the confirmation of death, physical changes in the dead, chemistry, period medicine, and a demonstration of arterial injection. This presentation offers insight into what became the modern funeral profession presented by a recognized authority on the subject.