Preserving bodies: History of Formaldehyde

My undergrad instructors would tell stories of dipping their whole arm, uncovered, into tubs of formalin. They said that the worst part was the smell, but there may have been other harmful effects that originally went unnoticed. While there are many uses for formaldehyde, especially formaldehyde since it’s a precursor to many types of resins and plastics, for me, it conjures images of organs – like brains, dissected hands, or decapitated heads – in a clear jar, submerged and bobbling in this solution. Formalin, or diluted formaldehyde, is a clear solution used for preserving dead or dying tissue.

Formaldehyde is an integral part of biology labs for these tissue preserving properties. A series of findings during the late 18th century led to the discovery (isolation of the chemical) and then a simplified production method of by1868 [1]. Its applications grew as its production increased: By the 1890’s, it was used as an antiseptic in clinical settings. Then, right before the turn of the century, scientists noticed that dousing tissue in formaldehyde preserved the color and shape better than any of the traditional chemical methods. A guideline on using formalin for preserving tissue was soon published and became used by research and funeral directors alike bu the toxic effects of formaldehyde was not published until after, in the early 1900’s. One notable paper (that hasn’t aged well) grotesquely details the process by which it kills animals [2].

As mentioned, this compound is toxic. Trace amounts seem to have minimal effects on our bodies and, interestingly, small quantities of formaldehyde are even produced even inside our bodies. Though formaldehyde is currently used as a preservative in food, its antimicrobial and disinfectant properties were once taken to the extreme when American soldiers were sent “embalmed beef.” This questionable method of preventing the beef from spoiling might have caused the “great sickness” that plagued the soldiers. For reference, the beef was sent during the Spanish-American War, where <300 men lost their lives in battle while close to 3,000 men died of “other causes” [3]. This “embalmed beef” was said to have a pungent odor… reminiscent of embalmed cadavers. 

[1] PMID: 28275269
[2] PMID: 19866982
[3] PMID: 4376433