The Salafia embalming formula: do it well or don’t do it at all

Abstract

Medical imaging allows non-invasive investigation of human remains. While paleoimaging is undoubtedly necessary in mummy studies, it is intrinsically limited in the sense that it cannot provide mummy experts with information on the chemical composition of the embalming substances. This holds particularly true for modern embalmed mummies (19th-20th centuries). Since the end of the 19th century, cadavers were arterially injected with chemicals which varied depending on different methods. One of those embalming methods was Salafia’s, which was much advertised in the USA. Since attempts at experimental reproduction of the Salafia method are planned by our team, a re-examination of the published literature on the formula was made. Here we provide evidence that an error in unit conversion from gallons to litres occurred and that the same mistake was repeated in the majority of the published English literature with a single exception which went unnoticed. Furthermore, we provide English speaking embalmers and mummy scholars with the complete and correct translation of the original version of Salafia’s formula.