The Mortuary Masterclass

Mortuary Masterclass Episode 27 — Before the First Injection What happens when a case presents injuries so extensive that preservation alone isn't enough?In this episode of The Mortuary Masterclass, we open another Prep Room Time Capsule and revisit an extraordinary Champion case study originally published in October 1952, “What to Do... and How It Was Done.”💡 We explore how experienced embalmers approached two e...

Episode 26: Understanding Cancer Cases

What happens when an embalming looks successful, but the tissues begin to soften and change the next day?

In this episode of The Mortuary Masterclass, we open a 70-year-old Champion Prep Room Time Capsule involving methotrexate, cancer treatment, and unexpected embalming results.

We connect those early observations with what we understand today about cancer, chemotherapy, cachexia, vascular chang...

Episode 25: From the Archives: Difficult Cases, When Science Meets Experience

In this edition of The Mortuary Masterclass, we open the Prep Room Time Capsule and revisit a difficult case from the early 1950s involving advanced decomposition, tissue gas, severe distention, and extensive skin slip.

This episode explores the science behind difficult cases, including Clostridium perfringens, vascular breakdown, distribution challenges, a...

Episode 24: The Poison Case, Part 2

In this edition of The Mortuary Masterclass, we step into the prep room and continue examining a real poisoning case documented in the Champion Archives nearly fifty years ago, following the embalmer's decisions from the initial assessment through final arterial treatment.

This episode explores why careful observation remains the foundation of successful embalming, highlighting the importance of ti...

Episode 23: The Champion Archives | Poisons: A Brief Review (Part 1)

In this special Champion Archives edition of The Mortuary Masterclass, we revisit a Champion research bulletin from 1978 to explore lessons that continue to shape the prep room today.

We'll discuss how poisons affect the body after death, why careful observation remains an embalmer's greatest tool, and how understanding tissue changes helps guide successful preparat...

Episode 22: The Third Generation

In this edition of The Mortuary Masterclass, we explore the birth of Champion's third-generation embalming chemistry and the question that helped reshape the future of the prep room.

This episode follows the evolution of embalming chemistry from traditional formaldehyde-based formulations to the development of Millenium and New Era, examining how innovation addressed real-world embalming challenges wh...

Episode 21: The Legacy of Preparedness: How HIV Changed Prep Room Safety

In this edition of The Mortuary Masterclass, we examine how the emergence of HIV and AIDS challenged funeral professionals to rethink infection control and helped establish many of the safety practices that remain standard in prep rooms today.

This episode explores the uncertainty faced by embalmers during the 1980s and early 1990s, the evolution of occupational...

Episode 20: The Future Before Its Time: Champion's Formaldehyde-Free Embalming Research

In this special edition of The Mortuary Masterclass, we look back at Champion's Millennium/New Era research program, an ambitious effort focused on developing a complete embalming system built around coordinated chemistry rather than reliance on a single active ingredient.

This episode explores the philosophy, science, and innovation behind ARTERI...

Episode 19: The Air Around Us — Ventilation, Chemistry, and the Modern Prep Room

In this episode of The Mortuary Masterclass, we take a closer look at one of the most important yet often overlooked aspects of the preparation room: the air around us.

We explore how ventilation, airflow, room design, and everyday work habits can influence workplace exposure, and why simple practices such as spill management, proper sanitation, PP...

🎧 Episode Title: Hit Play: The 5-Minute Exposure Breakdown

In this special edition of The Mortuary Masterclass, we take a focused look at something present in every prep room—but rarely fully broken down: methanol and isopropanol exposure, and what it actually means in real working conditions.

This episode explores controlled study data measuring airborne alcohol exposure during active embalming scenarios. Using real prep room...

🎧 Episode Title: Waterless Embalming: When It Works… and When It Doesn’t

In this episode of The Mortuary Masterclass, we take a closer look at one of the profession’s most recurring questions—waterless embalming, and what it actually means in practice.

We break down the chemistry behind so-called “waterless” techniques, clarifying the role water already plays in modern arterial fluids and how dil...

In Episode 16 of The Mortuary Masterclass, we explore the science behind Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease (CJD), a rare neurological disorder caused by prions—misfolded proteins that behave very differently from typical infectious agents.

This episode looks at what current research says about prions, why they resist many common disinfection methods, and how universal precautions and disciplined preparation practices help protec...

Episode 14: Then and Now — Formaldehyde, Exposure Data, and Safer Practice

In this episode of The Mortuary Masterclass, we revisit early formaldehyde exposure research and examine how those findings continue to inform safer prep-room practices today.

We explore a hands-on study conducted in the early 1990s by Champion’s Research and Education Department, breaking down what the data revealed about airborne exposure, chemis...

Episode 13: From Tradition to Intention — Understanding Formaldehyde Exposure

In this episode of The Mortuary Masterclass, we take a focused look at formaldehyde exposure in the prep room—and what actually influences exposure for embalmers in day-to-day practice.

We examine how formaldehyde became a foundation of modern embalming, why occupational exposure limits exist, and how research into ventilation, airflow, and tech...

Episode 12: Ecobalming Explained — What’s Changing in the Prep Room and Why

In this episode of The Mortuary Masterclass, we examine how ecobalming is actively changing prep-room procedures—and why those changes matter for embalmers today.

We explore the real-world forces driving this shift, including family expectations, exposure awareness, regulatory pressure, and the rise of natural and green disposition. Rather t...

Episode 11: Enigma & Ecobalming — A Modern Evolution in Preservation

In this episode of The Mortuary Masterclass, we explore a pivotal shift in embalming chemistry and what it means for today’s prep room, today’s families, and the future of the profession.

We walk through the science behind Champion’s fourth-generation ecobalming approach and the Enigma line, breaking down how non-hazardous, fully transpar...

In this episode of Mortuary Masterclass, we’re breaking down what pregnancy really means in the prep room — and which chemicals create the highest exposure risks.

Formaldehyde, high-volatility solvents, and drying-type cavity chemicals mirror industrial environments where increased miscarriages, fertility issues, and fetal complications are well-documented. We explain how these chemicals behave, why their vapors matter, ...

Episode 9: Clearing the Air on Embalming Exposure — The Phenol vs. Formaldehyde Reality Check

In this episode of Mortuary Masterclass, we’re cutting through decades of prep-room folklore to reveal the real exposure differences between two of embalming’s most talked-about chemicals: phenol and formaldehyde.
For years, phenol has carried an intense (and often exaggerated) reputation, while formaldehyde has been tr...

Episode 8: Smells Clean, Works Dirty — The Hexane Breakdown

In this episode of Mortuary Masterclass, we’re exposing a quiet newcomer that doesn’t deserve a place in the prep room: hexane.
Often tucked inside certain dry washes or cleaning solvents, hexane brings a host of problems with none of the benefits — adding flammability, increasing total chemical load, and raising exposure risks without improving s...