Question | Answer |
Nine region plan: by means of four imaginary planes, two of which are horizontal (indicated by lines drawn across the right and left 10th ribs and across the right and left anterior superior iliac spines) and two sagittal (indicated by lines drawn from mi | Abdominal Anatomical Regions |
antemortem injuries resulting from friction of the skin against a firm object resulting in the removal of the epidermis | Abrasion |
to touch or contact as with the tarsal plates of the closed eyes | Abut |
group of chemicals used in addition to vascular (arterial) and cavity embalming fluids; includes but is not limited to hardening compounds, preservative powders, sealing agents, mold preservative agents, and pack application agents | Accessory Chemical |
AIDS; a specific group of diseases or conditions which are indicative of severe Immunosuppression related to infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); persons dead having had AIDS may exhibit conditions such as wasting syndrome, extrapulmonar | Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome |
Exposure Limits ussually one half of the osha legal limit for regulate substance established to ensure adequate protection of employees at exposures below the OSHA limits, but to minimize the compliance burdens for employers whose employees have exposure | Action Level/ AL |
that pressure which is indicated by the injector gauge needle when the arterial tube is open and the arterial solution is flowing into the body | Actual Pressure |
soft whitish crumbly or greasy material that forms upon the postmortem hydrolysis and hydrogenation of body fats | Adipocere (grave wax) |
in the presence of free oxygen | Aerobic |
to disperse as an aerosol; minute particles of blood and water become atomized and suspended in air when water under pressure meets the blood drainage or when flushing an uncovered sink | Aerosolization |
intravascular; the increase of viscosity of blood brought about by the clumping of particulate formed elements in the blood vessels | Agglutination |
(moribund) decrease in body temperature immediately before death; the body tissues cool; is an antemortem temperature change | Agonal Algor |
in reference to blood, a change from a fluid into a thickened mass | Agonal Coagulation |
the loss of moisture from the living body during the agonal state | Agonal Dehydration |
escape of blood serum from an intravascular to an extravascular location immediately before death | Agonal Edema |
increase in body temperature immediately before death | Agonal Fever |
period immediately before somatic death | Agonal Period |
See Translocation | Agonal Translocation |
post mortem cooling of the body to the surrounding temperature | Algor Mortis |
method of injection-drainage in which embalming solution is injected and then injection is stopped while the drainage is opened | Alternate Drainage |
building blocks of which proteins are constructed, and the end products of protein digestion or hydrolysis; their basic formula is NH2-CHRCOOH - an amino group, an alpha carbon, any aliphatic or aromatic radical, and a carboxyl group | Amino Acid |
in the absence of free oxygen | Anaerobic |
severe generalized edema | Anascara |
a descriptive reference for locating arteries and veins by means of anatomical structures that are known | Anatomical Guide |
points of origin and points of termination in relation to adjacent structures; used to designate the boundaries of arteries | Anatomical Limits |
the body is erect, feet together, palms facing forward, and thumbs are pointed away from the body | Anatomical Position |
localized abnormal dilation or out pocketing of a blood vessel resulting from a congenital defect or a weakness of the vessel wall | Aneurysm |
an embalming instrument that is used for blunt dissection and in raising vessels | Aneurysm Hook |
an embalming instrument that is used for blunt dissection and in raising vessels, which has an eye in the hook portion of the instrument for placing ligatures around vessels | Aneurysm Needle |
a multipurpose instrument used in the embalming process | Angular Spring Forceps |
deviations from normal | Anomalies |
in front of the elbow/in the bend of the elbow | Antecubital |
before death | Antemortem |
toward the front | Anterior |
a bony protuberance, that can be palpated topographically, found on the ilium, the superior, broad portion of the hipbone; the origin of the inguinal ligament and the sartorius muscle | Anterior Superior Iliac Spine |
ingredient of embalming fluids that retards the natural postmortem tendency of blood to become more viscous or prevents adverse reactions between blood and other embalming chemicals | Anticoagulant Fluid |
condition in which the manifestations of life are feebly maintained | Apparent Death |
the concentrated, preservative, embalming chemical that will be diluted with water to form the arterial solution for injection into the arterial system during vascular embalming; the purpose is for inactivating saprophytic bacteria and rendering the body | Arterial (Vascular) Fluid |
the mixture of arterial (vascular) fluid and water which is used for the arterial injection and may include supplemental fluids | Arterial Solution |
a tube used to inject embalming fluid into the blood vascular system | Arterial Tube |
the term applied to a number of pathological conditions causing a thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of the arteries | Arteriosclerosis |
place of union between two or more bones | Articulation |
accumulation of serious fluids in the peritoneal cavity | Ascites |
freedom from infection and from any form of life; sterility | Asepsis |
insufficient intake of oxygen resulting from numerous causes | Asphyxia |
withdrawal of gas, fluids and semi-solids from body cavities and hollow viscera by means of suction with an aspirator and a trocar | Aspiration |
a drug that causes contraction of body tissues and canals | Astringent |
fatty degeneration or thickening of the walls of the larger arteries occurring in arthosclerosis | Atheroma |
apparatus used for sterilization by steam pressure, usually at 250 F / 121 C for a specific time | Autoclave |
self-destruction of cells; decomposition of all tissues by enzymes of their own formation without microbial assistance | Autolysis |
a postmortem examination of the organs and tissues of a body to determine cause of death or pathological condition; a necropsy | Autopsy |
destructive to bacteria | Bactericidal Agent |
agent that has the ability to inhibit or retard bacterial growth; no destruction of viability of the microorganism is implied | Bacteriostatic Agent |
resins combined with oil; a fragrant, resinous, oily exudate from various trees and plants | Balsamic Substance |
THE arm pit | Base of the Axillary Space |
biological agent or condition that constitutes a hazard to humans | Biohazard |
irreversible somatic death | Biological Death |
a chemical which lightens a skin discoloration | Bleaching Agent |
tissue that circulates through the vascular system and is composed of approximately 22% solids and 78% water | Blood |
the pressure exerted by the blood in the living body on the arterial wall measured in millimeters of mercury | Blood Pressure |
OSHA REGULATION (29CFR 1910-1030) regulating the employee's exposure to blood and other body fluids. OSHA DEFINITIONS: Blood. Human blood, human blood components, and products made from human blood | Bloodborne Pathogen Rule |
pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans; these pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) | Bloodborne Pathogens |
the presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface | Contaminated |
laundry which has been soiled with blood or other potentially infectious materials or may contain sharps | Contaminated Laundry |
any contaminated object that can penetrate the skin including, but not limited to, needles scalpels, broken glass, and exposed wire ends | Contaminated Sharps |
controls that reduce the likelihood of exposure by altering the manner in which a task is performed (e.g. prohibiting recapping of needles, and not allowing blood splatter or aerosolization of blood while draining during the embalming process | Work Practice Controls |
discolorations resulting from changes in blood composition, content, or location, either intravascular or extravascular | Blood Discoloration |
circulatory network composed of the heart, arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins | Blood Vascular System |
pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans | Bloodborne Pathogens |
the separation and pushing aside of the superficial fascia leading to blood vessels and then the deep fascia surrounding the blood vessels, utilizing manual techniques or round ended instruments which separate rather than cut the protective tissues | Blunt Dissection |
acute, deep-seated inflammation in the skin which usually begins as a subcutaneous swelling in a hair follicle | Boil |
Temporary Interrupted Suture; individual stitch knotted at the tissue edge; maybe applied prior to embalming to align tissues | Bridge Suture |
vestibule of the oral cavity; the space between the lips, gums, and teeth | Buccal Cavity |
self-contained, soft rubber manual pump designed to create pressure to deliver fluid as it passes through one-way valves located within the bulb; it is used to deliver fluids; it cannot be used for aspiration | Bulb Syringe |
an embalming chemical which affects the stabilization of the acid-base (ph) balance within the solutions and in the embalmed tissues | Buffers |
dead human body used for medical purposes; including transplantation, anatomical dissection, and study | Cadaver |
Livor Mortis; postmortem, intravascular, red-blue discoloration resulting from hypostasis of the blood | Cadaveric Lividity |
a prolongation of the last violent contraction of the muscles into the rigidity of death; instantaneous rigor mortis | Cadaveric Spasm |
the dome-like superior portion of the cranium; that portion removed during the cranial autopsy | Calvarium |
a device used as a means of fastening the Calvarium after a cranial autopsy | Calvarium Clamp |
formation of new channels in tissue | Canalization |
minute blood vessels, the walls of which comprise a single layer of endothelial cells; capillaries connect the smallest arteries (arteriole) with the smallest veins (venule) and are where pressure filtration occurs | Capillaries |
ability of substances to diffuse through capillary walls into the tissue spaces | Capillary Permeability |
a compound of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen; sugars, starches, and glycogen | Carbohydrate |
circumscribed inflammation of the skin and deeper tissues that ends in suppuration and is accompanied by systemic symptoms, such as fever and leukocytosis | Carbuncle |
a cancer-causing chemical or material | Carcinogen |
the formation of cavities in an organ or tissue; frequently seen in some forms of tuberculosis | Cavitation |
direct treatment, other than vascular (arterial) injection, of the contents of the body cavities and the lumina of the hollow viscera; usually accomplished by aspiration and injection | Cavity Embalming |
embalming chemicals which are injected into the cavities of the body following the aspiration in the cavity embalming; cavity fluid can also be used as the chemical in hypodermic and surface embalming | Cavity Fluid |
death of the individual cells in the body | Cellular Death |
ascending and/or arch of the aorta | Center of Fluid Distribution |
right atrium of the heart | Center of Venous Drainage |
embalming machine that uses an electrical pump to create pressure either pulsating or non-pulsating | Centrifugal Force Machine |
a major agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, concerned withal phases of control of communicable, vector borne, and occupational diseases | Center for Disease Control and Prevention/CDCP (CDC) |
substances that bind metallic ions such as EDTA (Ethylenediamine-tetracetic acid)- used as an anticoagulant in embalming solutions | Chelate |
a change in the body's chemical composition that occurs after death such as hemolysis | Chemical Postmortem Change |
the application of chemical reagents in the treatment of disease in man, causing an elevated preservation demand | Chemotherapy |
a phase of somatic death lasting from 5-6 minutes in which life may be restored | Clinical Death |
chemical and physical agents that bring about coagulation | Coagulating Agents |
the process of converting soluble protein into insoluble protein by heating or contact with a chemical such as an alcohol or an aldehyde; the solidification of a sol into a gelatinous mass; agglutination is a specific form of coagulation | Coagulation |
a fluid used primarily to supplement and enhance the action of vascular (arterial) solutions | Coinjection Fluid |
the irreversible cessation of brain activity and loss of consciousness; death beginning at the brain | Coma |
disease that may be transmitted either directly or indirectly between individuals by an infectious agent | Communicable Disease |
disinfection practices carried out during the embalming process | Concurrent Disinfection |
method of drainage in which drainage occurs continuously during vascular (arterial) injection | Concurrent Drainage |
rounded articular process of a bone | Condyle |
mucous membrane that lines the eyelid and covers the white portion of the eye | Conjunctiva |
disease that may be transmitted between individuals, with reference to the organism that causes the disease | Contagious Disease |
the presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface | Contaminated |
transparent part of the tunic of the eyeball that covers the iris and pupil and admits light into the interior | Cornea |
that portion of the cornea recovered for transplantation in situ | Corneal Sclera Button |
an official of a local community who holds inquests concerning sudden, violent, and unexplained deaths | Coroner |
obesity; having an abnormal amount of fat on the body | Corpulence |
embalming fluid that contains dyes and coloring agents intended to restore a more natural skin tone through the embalming process | Cosmetic Fluid |
dye that helps to cover internal discolorations such as jaundice | Counter Staining Compound |
plastic garment designed to cover the body from the chest down to the upper thigh | Coverall |
method used to embalm the contents of the cranial cavity through aspiration and injection of the cranial chamber by passage of a trocar through the cribriform plate | Cranial Embalming |
those elements remaining after cremation of a dead human body | Cremated Remains |
crackling sensation produced when gasses trapped in tissues are palpated, as in subcutaneous emphysema | Crepitation |
a disease of the central nervous system with unknown etiology, assumed to be a slow virus; because of unknown etiology, care givers using invasive procedures use extreme caution | Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease |
thin, medial portion of the ethmoid bone of the skull | Cribriform Plate |
irreversible cessation of all vital functions; (nonlegal definition) | Death |
noise made by a moribund person caused by air passing through a residue of mucous in the trachea and posterior oral cavity | Death Rattle |
the semi-convulsive twitches which often occur before death | Death Struggle |
composition of proteins by enzymes of aerobic bacteria; aerobic proteolysis | Decay |
separation of compounds into simpler substances by the action of microbial and/or autolytic enzymes | Decomposition |
loss of moisture from a body tissue which may occur antemortem or postmortem | Dehydration |
a protein whose structure has been changed by a physical or chemical agent | Denatured Protein |
process of drying out | Desiccation |
skin slip; sloughing off of the epidermis, wherein there is a separation of the epidermis from the underlying dermis | Desquamation |
separation of substances in solution by the difference in their rates of diffusion through a semipermeable membrane | Dialysis |
the difference between potential and actual pressure | Differential Pressure |
the movement of molecules or other particles in a solution from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration until uniform concentration is reached | Diffusion |
passage of some components of the injected embalming solution from an intravascular to an extravascular location; movement of the embalming solutions from the capillaries into the interstitial fluids | Diffusion (Fluid) |
anatomical term describing fingers and toes; the thumb is #1 for each hand and the large toe is #1 for each foot | Digits |
any abnormal color in or upon the human body | Discoloration |
any deviation from or interruption of the normal structure or function of a body part, organ, or system | Disease |
an agent, usually chemical, applied to an inanimate object/surface to destroy disease-causing microbial agents, but usually not bacterial spores | Disinfectant |
the destruction and/or inhibition of most pathogenic organisms and their products in or on a body | Disinfection |
the movement of embalming solutions from the point of injection throughout the arterial system and into the capillaries | Distribution (Fluid) |
tubular instrument of varying diameter and shape, preferably with a plunger, that is inserted into a vein in drainage of blood and to restrict the exit of vascular embalming fluid | Drain Tube |
discharge or withdrawal of blood, interstitial fluid and embalming fluids from the body during vascular embalming; usually removed through a vein in the body | Drainage |
OSHA required safety device for a release of a copious amount of water in a short period of time | Drench Shower |
condition that results when the body part that dies had little blood and remains aseptic and occurs when the arteries but not the veins are obstructed | Ischemic necrosis (Dry Gangrene) |
substances which will, upon being dissolved, impart a definite color to the embalming solution; dyes are classified as to their capacity to permanently impart color to the tissue of the body into which they are injected | Dye (Coloring Agent) |
extravasation of blood into tissue; a bruise | Ecchymosis |
ECG (EKG); record of the electrical activity of the heart | Electrocardiogram |
abnormal accumulation of fluids in tissues or body cavities | Edema |
EEG; a record of the electrical activity of the brain | Electroencephalogram |
a device that uses a motor to create a suction for the purpose of aspiration | Electric aspirator |
an electrically heated blade which may be used to dry moist tissue, reduce swollen tissue, and restore contour | Electric Spatula |
process of chemically treating the dead human body to reduce the presence and growth of microorganisms, to temporarily inhibit organic decomposition, and to restore an acceptable physical appearance | Embalming |
direct treatment other than vascular (arterial) embalming of the contents of the body cavities and the lumina of the hollow viscera; usually accomplished by aspiration and then injection of chemicals using a trocar | Cavity Embalming |
injection of embalming chemicals directly into the tissues through the use of a syringe and needle or trocar | Hypodermic Embalming |
direct contact of internal or external body tissues with embalming chemicals | Surface Embalming |
the use of the vascular systems of the body for preservation, disinfection and restoration; usually accomplished through injection of embalming solutions into the arteries and drainage from the veins | Vascular Embalming |
that consideration given to the dead human body prior to, during, and after the embalming procedure is completed; documentation is recommended | Embalming Analysis (case analysis) |
procedures that isolate or remove the Bloodborne pathogen hazards from the workplace such as sharps disposal container and self sheathing needles | Engineering Controls |
the surroundings, conditions, or influences that affect an organism or the cells within an organism | Environment |
a US governmental agency with environmental protection regulatory and enforcement authority | Environmental Protection Agency/EPA |
an organic catalyst produced by living cells and capable of autolytic decomposition | Enzyme |
to remove as by cutting out; the area from which something has been cut out | Excision |
any procedure used to prove a sign of death, usually performed by medical personnel | Expert Tests of Death |
a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral, contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that results from the performance of an employee's duties | Exposure Incident |
outside the blood vascular system | Extravascular |
discoloration of the body outside the blood vascular system, for example, ecchymosis, Petechia, Hematoma, and postmortem stain | Extravascular Blood Discoloration |
from outside the body | Extrinsic |
removal of the eye for tissue transplantation, research and education | Eye Enucleation |
extravasation of blood as a result of eye enucleation | Eye Enucleation Discoloration |
OSHA required emergency safety device providing a steady stream of water for flushing the eyes | Eye Wash Station |
a thin plastic dome-like disc used to restore contour just beneath the eyelids; an aid in eye closure | Eyecap |
organic compound containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Chemically, a triglycerides ester, composed of glycerol and fatty acids | Fat |
a product of decomposition of fats | Fatty Acids |
characterized by a high fever, causing dehydration of the body | Febrile |
bacterial decomposition of carbohydrates | Fermentation |
lesions of the mucous membrane of the lip or mouth caused by Herpes Simplex type I or II virus or by dehydration of the mucous membrane in a febrile disease | Fever Blisters |
rigidity of tissue due to chemical reaction | Firming |
the act of making tissue rigid; the solidification of a compound | Fixation |
an agent employed in the preparation of tissues, for the purpose of maintaining the existing form and structure; many agents are used, the most important one being formalin | Fixative |
a colorless poisonous gas; made by the oxidation of methanol; a potential occupational carcinogen | Formaldehyde/HCHO |
grey discoloration of the body caused by the reaction of formaldehyde from the embalming process with hemoglobin to form methyl-hemoglobin | Formaldehyde Grey |
OSHA regulation limiting the amount of occupation exposure to formaldehyde gas | Formaldehyde Rule |
boil; acute, deep seated inflammation in the skin which usually begins as a subcutaneous swelling in a hair follicle | Furuncle |
necrosis, death, of tissues of part of the human body usually due to deficient or absent blood supply | Gangrene |
necrosis is a wound infected by an anaerobic gas forming bacillus, the most common etiologic agent being Clostridium perfringens | Gas Gangrene |
extravascular movement of preservative fluids by gravitational force to the dependent areas of the body | Gravity Filtration |
apparatus used to inject arterial fluid during the vascular (arterial) phase of the embalming process; relies on gravity to create the pressure required to deliver the fluid (.43 pounds of pressure per one foot elevation) | Gravity Injector |
instrument used to guide vein tubes into vessels | Groove Director |
historical instrument resembling a large hypodermic syringe attached to a bottle apparatus; used to create either pressure for injection or vacuum for aspiration | Hand Pump |
water containing large amounts of mineral salts; the water (vehicle) to be used in mixing vascular embalming solutions needs to have these mineral salts removed or sequestered | Hard Water |
chemical in powder form that has the ability to absorb and to disinfect; often used in cavity treatment of autopsied bodies | Hardening Compound |
OSHA regulation that deals with identifying and limiting exposure to occupational hazards | Hazard Communication Standard/Rule |
an agent or material exposing one to risk | Hazardous Material |
piece of equipment used to maintain the head in the proper position during the embalming process | Head Rest |
blood present in vomitus; vomiting blood | Hematemesis |
a swelling or mass of clotted blood confined to an organ or space caused by a ruptured vessel | Hematoma |
the non protein portion of hemoglobin; the red pigment of hemoglobin | Heme |
the red respiratory portion of the red blood cells; iron containing pigment of red blood cells functioning to carry oxygen to cells | Hemoglobin |
destruction of red blood cells that liberates hemoglobin | Hemolysis |
inflammation of the liver; it may be caused by a variety of agents, including viral infections, bacterial invasion, and physical or chemical agents; it is usually accompanied by fever, jaundice, and an enlarged liver | Hepatitis |
a severe infectious blood borne virus | Hepatitis B Virus/HBV |
an inflammatory skin disease marked by small vesicles in clusters, usually restricted to diseases caused by Herpesvirus | Herpes |
special vascular (arterial) fluid with an HCHO content of 25 to 36 percent | High Preservation Demand Fluids |
a 5 percent sodium hypochlorite solution; twelve ounces of household bleach with 116 ounces of water yields one gallon of a 105 household bleach solution (5,000 ppm sodium hypochlorite) | Household Bleach |
a type of retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) | Human Immunodeficiency Virus/HIV |
body of a deceased person, including cremated remains | Human Remains |
chemical that increases the ability of embalmed tissue to retain moisture | Humectant |
apparatus that is connected to the water supply; when the water is turned on a suction is developed and is used to aspirate the contents of body cavities | Hydroaspirator |
abnormal accumulation of fluids in a saclike structure; especially the scrotal sac | Hydrocele |
abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluids in the ventricles of the brain | Hydrocephalus |
reaction in which water is one of the reactants and compounds are often broken down; in hydrolysis of proteins, the addition of water accompanied by action of enzymes results in the breakdown of protein into amino acids | Hydrolysis |
abnormal accumulation of fluid within the pericardial sac | Hydropericardium |
abnormal accumulation of fluid in the thoracic cavity | Hydrothorax |
absorbing moisture readily | Hygroscopic |
a solution having greater concentration of dissolved solute than the solution to which it is compared | Hypertonic Solution |
injection of embalming chemicals directly into the tissues through the use of a syringe and needle or trocar | Hypodermic Embalming |
settling of blood and/or other fluids to dependent portions of the body; the process of settling out blood to the capillaries | Hypostasis |
a solution having a lesser concentration of a dissolved solute than the solution to which it is compared | Hypotonic Solution |