Editing Embalming (section)

==Terms for embalmers==
{{more citations needed section|date=May 2023}}
An embalmer is someone who has been trained and qualified in the art and science of sanitization, presentation, and preservation of the human deceased. The term ''mortician'' is far more generic; it may refer to someone who is a funeral director, an embalmer, or just a person who prepares the deceased, with or without the formal qualification of an embalmer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mortician definition and meaning {{!}} Collins English Dictionary |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mortician |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220819210118/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mortician |archive-date=2022-08-19 |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.collinsdictionary.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=mortician |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/mortician |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220504060515/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/mortician |archive-date=2022-05-04 |access-date=2024-12-16 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-04 |title=Funeral Directors, Morticians, Undertakers, and Embalmers |url=https://www.glicklerfuneralhome.com/blog/funeral-directors-morticians-undertakers-and-embalmers/#:~:text=What%20Is%20the%20Difference%20Between,and%20oversees%20the%20burial%20process. |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=Glickler Funeral Home |language=en-US}}</ref> Thus while all embalmers are morticians, many morticians are not embalmers and the terms are not intrinsically synonymous.

Embalming training commonly involves formal study in [[anatomy]], [[thanatology]], [[chemistry]], and specific embalming theory (to widely varied levels depending on the region of the world one lives in) combined with practical instruction in a [[mortuary]] with a resultant formal qualification granted after the passing of a final practical examination and acceptance into a recognized society of professional embalmers. The roles of a [[funeral director]] and embalmer are different, depending on local customs and the licensing body of the region in which they both operate. A funeral director arranges for the final disposition of the deceased, and may or may not prepare the deceased (by embalming, preparing for viewing or other legal requirements).

Legal requirements over who can practice vary geographically. Some regions or countries do not have specific requirements, while others have clear prohibitions. In the United States, the title of an embalmer is largely based on the state in which they are licensed. Additionally, in many places, embalming is not done by specialist embalmers, but rather by doctors, medical technicians or laboratory technicians who, while they have the required anatomical or chemical knowledge, are not trained specialists in this field.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/185498/embalming/2096/Modern-procedures |title=Embalming: Modern Procedures |publisher=Britannica.com |access-date=9 March 2012}}</ref> Today, embalming is a common practice in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Britain and Ireland, while it is much less frequent in many parts of Europe; most modern countries have embalming available in some manner.