Anatomy and Physiology for the Embalmer
Core anatomy
Embalming is applied anatomy, so a candidate must be able to name, locate and describe the function of every structure they cannulate, drain or treat. Learn the body cavities and their contents; the great vessels and their main branches; the venous systems and their valves; the lymphatic system; the respiratory and digestive tracts; the skin and its layers; and the facial muscles and cranial nerves that govern feature setting.
Arterial supply: the common carotid divides into internal and external carotid; the axillary continues as brachial, then radial and ulnar; the femoral becomes popliteal. Venous drainage: internal jugular, subclavian, cephalic and basilic, long and short saphenous, femoral. Understand capillary exchange, blood pressure and peripheral resistance, because they explain why distribution and drainage behave as they do in a body with no heartbeat.
Post-mortem change is examinable: algor mortis (cooling), livor mortis (dependent staining), rigor mortis (stiffening) and putrefaction.
Traps
Questions blur internal and external carotid (the internal has no branches in the neck); assume valves in every vein; swap the right lung (three lobes) with the left (two); confuse portal with systemic circulation; and mislabel dependent lividity as bruising. Read 'which vessel' questions twice, because left and right are frequently swapped.
Rule of thumb
In the femoral triangle, lateral to medial: Nerve, Artery, Vein, Empty space, Lymphatics (NAVEL). Locate the artery by its pulse below the inguinal ligament, medial to the midpoint.