The American Way of Death Revisited by Jessica Mitford, 1996, Excerpts

A brief look backwards establishes that there is no resemblance between the funeral practices of today ;and those of even seventy-five to one hundred years ago, and that there is nothing in the “history of Western civilization” to support the thesis of continuity and gradual development of funeral customs. On the contrary, the salient features of the contemporary American funeral [beautification of the corpse, metal casket and vault, banks of store-bought flowers, the ubiquitous offices of the “funeral director”] are all of very recent vintage in this country, and each has been methodically designed and tailored to extract maximum profit for the trade.

Origins of American Burial Practices Customs Funerals

Egyptian Origins of Embalming

Father of Modern Embalming

History and Description of Embalming Mr. Jones

Death Care -- A Growth Industry