Which of the following describes embalming steps accurately?

• A. The steps include cleaning the body, setting facial features, arterial injection of embalming fluid, and dressing the body only.
• B. The steps include cleaning the body and applying cosmetics, but not arterial injection.
• C. Embalming involves only surface cosmetics without insertion of embalming fluid.
• D. The steps include cleaning the body, setting facial features, arterial injection of embalming fluid, cavity treatment, and dressing and casketing the body.

Answer: (D)

Embalming is a sequence that both preserves and prepares the body for viewing. The steps typically include cleansing the body, setting facial features for a natural appearance, arterial injection of embalming fluid to distribute preservative throughout the tissues, cavity treatment to address internal contents, and finishing with dressing and casketing the body. This combination covers both how preservation happens and how the body is prepared for presentation. Arterial injection is essential for distributing fluid, cavity treatment handles internal decomposition and odor, and dressing plus casketing complete the preparation. The other descriptions miss one or more critical elements—focusing only on cleaning and cosmetics, omitting arterial injection, or neglecting cavity treatment and casketing—so they don’t fully describe the embalming process.