restorative arts week 1

history of RA

-RA goes back to egyptian embalming (ex: washing the body, styling the hair, closing the eyes and even tying a cloth around the head and chin to keep the mouth closed are considered forerunners to today’s practices)

-began as demi-surgery in the US in 1912

who is the father of RA

Joseph Crandall

Restorative art

s defined as the art of building or creating parts of the body which had been destroyed by accident, disease, decomp, or discoloration, and making the body perfectly natural and lifelike.  OR  the care of the deceased to recreate natural form and color. 

the form of the human head is influenced by

 the structure of bones, muscles, connective tissues, and skin. 

-these elements are influenced by genetics, aging, environmental factors, nutrition, disease, and pathological conditions

physiognomy

 the study of structures and surface markings of the face and features

-RA is closely related to physical anthropology, which is defined as the study of humans as a biological species with interest in evolution and modern human variations

rule 1 for science and taxonomies

 use the special terms that the particular science has developed to describe its subject matter

taxonomy

an orderly classification of plants or animals by their presumed natural relationships

morphology (shapes)

study and form of structure of organisms and their structural features

--2 of the most important influences on human form and behavior are the environment and nutrition

incentives for achieving proficiency in RA

-psychological effect (ex: hastening or complicating) on immediate family and friends

-most mental health workers believe that viewing the deceased is valuable in helping the grieving adjust to their loss

-professional responsibility (no other profession does this)

-good PR (ex: good for business)

minor restorations include

-feature alignment

-simple sutures to close incisions and minor lacerations

-incision - clean cut

-lacerations -jagged edges

-reduction of swelling

-minor integumentary waxing

-hypodermic tissue building

-simple hair attachment

-bleaching or blanching of discoloration

major restorations

-will almost always require permission from family, this is based on the principle that we must ‘dispose of remains in same condition that we received them’ AS WELL AS the consumer’s right to informed consent (especially in florida) 

-feature reconstruction

-attachment of dismembered parts

-deep wound cavity treatment

-treatment of 3rd degree burns

pre-embalming treatment

-feature alignment: set it before embalming! (ex: if you do not fix or straighten eyelashes before embalming, they will be ‘stuck’ however they were at the time of death after embalming) 

-temporary sutures: set it BEFORE embalming!

-Suturing of clean cuts: see 2 reasons above

-support of fractured cranial and facial bones, see 3 reasons above

-excision for restorative purposes: excision = cutting away of tissue

-hypodermic injection of cauterant for trauma cases

co-embalming treatments (notice how NONE of these divert your attention from the embalming)

-maintaining proper feature alignment

-control of swelling

-internal tissue building using chemicals only during embalming

-humectants (usually in your embalming solution) 

-modifying agents (usually in your embalming solution)

post-embalming treatments

-wax restorations

-external cosmetics

-hypodermic tissue building

-reduction of swelling

-hair restorations

-external bleaching of discolorations

-exicisions - if done prior to embalming, it tends to promote drying and leakage

-suturing of incisions

female variation of craniofacial morphology

-shorter in height

-lighter bone density

-pelvis: broad and shallow

-small skull size

-face is wider and shorter

-not pronounced supraorbital margins

-fewer facial markings due to leaner faces

Male variation of craniofacial morphology

-tall in height

-heavier bone density

-pelvis is narrow and deep

-skull is larger

-face is long and narrow

-supraorbital margins appear on men

-more facial markings

race

 is a biological variation within the species homo sapiens

-Within these races there are ‘micro-races’

-european (white)

-asiatic (yellow)

-african (black)

-darkness of skin is NOT an indicator of genetic relationship

mortuary schools have long taught 3 groups

-caucasoid, negroid, and mongoloid

-in keeping with the evolution of research and trying to advance the FS field to be current with modern terms, we will NOT be using mayer’s description of ‘race,’ but you should be aware for nbe exams

leptorrhine (narrow nose)

-european

-usually long and narrow with a high root and bridge

mesorrhine (intermediate nose)

-asiatic (yellow)

-profile is concave. Tip and wings are of medium thickness, and wings are flared rather than compressed

platyrrhine (wide nose)

-african (black)

- low and broad at the root and bridge with a distinctive depression at the root. Profile is straight or concave - tip of the nose is thick and wings are thick and flared - variations will appear

color of skin is determined by 3 factors

1. Melanin: protects skin from UV rays (darker the skin, less chance of skin cancer) cells known as melanocytes within the dermis produce melanin

2. Carotene

   1. Blood present

anatomical position

the body is erect, feet together, palms facing forward, upper libs are at the sides with thumbs pointed away from the body

superior

 towards the head; the eyes are superior to the mouth

inferior

towards the feet, lower in position, the chest is inferior to the neck

anterior (ventral)

towards the front, the frontal is anterior (ventral) to the occipital lobe

posterior (dorsal)

 towards the rear or caudal end. The occipital bone is posterior (dorsal =) to the frontal bone

medial

toward the median plane (towards the middle line)

lateral

away from the median plane (towards the side)

sagittal plane/median/midsagittal plane

 vertical plane which divides the body into equal right and left halves. It runs the direction of the sagittal suture

frontal or coronal plane

 divides the body into anterior and posterior sections, it runs from ear to ear. Think of coronal suture

horizontal or transverse plane

cuts across the median plane at a right angle; think along the lines of cross-cut sections. Think of a tree that has been cut down and is being cut into logs

oblique feature or inclination

 a slant or incline which is neither vertical nor horizontal slope

surface plane

 a surface exhibiting curvature, but different in direction