Some usages which seem to be sanctioned by long practice, but not by
any remarkable amount of good judgment, ought to be discountenanced
and done away with, simply upon the ground that these acts conflict
directly with all sanitary laws, and to a great extent endanger
the lives of the persons who may be present. Still, these repeated
transgressions upon the common precautionary measures against
contagion are not the result of a desire to do wrong, neither do they
always arise from sheer ignorance, but they are almost always caused
by an utter disregard of even the simplest prudence.
For instance, how often, where a child has succumbed to the attack
of some infectious disease, like scarlet fever, diphtheria, etc.,
how often will parents, regardless of the contagious character of
the disease, insist upon kissing the pallid lips of the corpse, and,
moreover, invite other children to follow the same dangerous practice.
And again, another prolific source of disease lies in the fact that
funeral services will be conducted in a close, warm, ill ventilated
room, crowded with a sympathizing audience, in close proximity to a
corpse emitting foul and infectious effluvia, and inhaling these into
the system. It is true that these same noxious gases may not always
be detected by the smell, as the floral ornamentations, the crowded
state of the room, etc., all tend to disguise any unpleasant odors;
but the germ of contagion is still there and actively at work.
It is a fact, patent and undeniable, that carelessness in the keeping
and disposing of bodies is an act of guilty neglect, and the sooner
the community be made acquainted with the danger attending such
practices as those above spoken of, the better it will be for the
enforcement of those sanitary measures which are necessary in every
well regulated city or town.
We have already spoken of dangers to be encountered in the handling
of bodies, but the subject is of so much importance to undertakers,
and concerns the profession so closely, that it may not be amiss here
to renew our former cautions, also to add a few more suggestions,
so as to modify the danger thereof, even if it cannot be completely
eradicated.