thanatopraxy

From French thanatopraxie, German Thanatopraxie, Spanish tanatopraxia, ultimately from Ancient Greek θάνατος (thánatos, “dead body”) + πρᾶξις (prâxis, “practice”). Doublet of thanatopraxis.

thanatopraxy (uncountable)

1. (uncommon) Embalming.
   • [1975, Dictionnaire de médecine [Dictionary of Medicine] (in French), Paris: Flammarion Médecine-Sciences [Flammarion Medicine-Sciences], →ISBN, pages 713, column 1, and 865, column 2:

     THANATOPRAXIE s. f. [gr. thanatos : mort; praxis : action] (angl. thanatopraxy). […] thanatopraxy, thanatopraxie

     THANATOPRAXIE feminine noun [Greek thanatos: death; praxis: action] (English thanatopraxy). […] thanatopraxy, thanatopraxie]

   • 1983, Michael J[ohn] Trebilcock, John Whalley, Carol Rogerson, Ian Ness, “Provincially induced barriers to trade in Canada: a survey”, in Michael J. Trebilcock, Robert S[tobo] Prichard, Thomas J[oseph] Courchene, John Whalley, editors, Federalism and the Canadian Economic Union, Toronto, Ont.: […] [F]or the Ontario Economic Council by University of Toronto Press, →ISBN, part 2 (Evidence), page 281:

     For example in Quebec under Section 38 of the Public Health Protection Act persons wishing to operate a laboratory organ tissue bank, a vacation camp, or an ambulance service, to act as a funeral director, or to practice embalming, cremation, or thanatopraxy, must have resided in Quebec for at least twelve months in order to obtain a licence.

   • 1998, Christine Quigley, “Buying Immortality: Emulations, Innovations, and Applications”, in Modern Mummies: The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, published 2006, →ISBN, page 161, column 2:

     Hygeco, a company in France that specializes in “thanatopraxy,” or preservation care, offers cold chambers and in late 1996 was contracted to supply 1,000 to Saudi Arabia, where bodies are sometimes stored for more than a year.

   • 2004, “Biomedical Waste”, in Martindale-Hubbell International Law Digest, New Providene, N.J.: Martindale-Hubbell, →ISBN, “Canada–Que” section, page 27, column 1:

     Human anatomical waste consisting of body parts or organs (but excluding teeth, hair, nails, blood and biological liquids) and non-anatomical waste consisting of any of following: sharp or breakable object having been in contact with blood or with biological liquid or tissue and having been used in medical or dental care or in medical biology laboratory, or such object used in thanatopraxy (performance of embalming); […] blood container or material that has been saturated with blood and used in medical care, in medical biology laboratory or in thanatopraxy, are all subject to Regulation respecting biomedical waste.

   • 2006, Peter J. Ball, “Embalming—United Kingdom and European”, in Robert G. Mayer, Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice, 4th edition, New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, Medical Publishing Division, →ISBN, III (Selected Readings and Glossary), section I (Selected Readings), page 683, column 2:

     The subject of this discussion is embalming, or as it is often called in Europe—thanatopraxy. The European name of thanatopraxy was created to distinguish between the perception that embalming was in some way similar to mummification as practiced by the ancient Egyptians (amongst others): it is likely that the word embalming does not translate readily into non-English languages without attracting this inference. This is further underlined in some countries where embalming is forbidden by law, whereas thanatopraxy is a legitimate practice. […] It is as much a question of custom and purpose that serves to define the difference between the two types, for the sake of clarity I intend to use the term ‘thanatopraxy’ to differentiate between ‘funeral’ embalming and ‘medical’ embalming.

   • 2011, Uel Wright, Norman P. McClelland, “David Neville – Fifth Generation”, in The Hennings of Newry, Phoenix, Ariz.: Norman P. McClelland, →ISBN, page 972:

     Simultaneously he studied anatomical science and attended the Shropshire School of funeral services, obtaining a Diploma in Embalming or Thanatopraxy as it is now known.

   • 2012 September [2012 April], Marcos Prior, translated by Carla Díaz Juhl, The Year of the 4 Emperors, [Philadelphia, Pa.]: KettleDrummer Books, →ISBN, page 105:

     Thanatopraxy: the art of making up the dead / FREE download of the Keys of Thanatopraxy today only

   • 2014, “International Federation of Thanatologists Associations (IFTA)”, in Union of International Associations, editor, Yearbook of International Organizations 2014–2015: Guide to Global Civil Society Networks, edition 51, volume 1B (Int to Z), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 1739, column 2:

     Aims […] encourage and develop education for funeral services and embalming or thanatopraxy throughout the world and achieve uniform standards and regulations; […]

   • 2014 August 11, “Cross-Border Trade in Services and Investment”, in CETA Services and Investment Reservations, Canada Provincial and Territorial Annex I, page 959:

     A person seeking a permit to practise embalming, cremation or thanatopraxy is not subject to the requirement to reside in Quebec provided that he or she resides in Canada.

   • 2015 [2012], Markus Heitz, translated by Sorcha McDonagh, chapter I, in Oneiros, London: Jo Fletcher Books, →ISBN, page 27:

     Why do you want to learn the craft of thanatopraxy? Open coffins aren’t very common in Germany.

     [original: Warum wollen Sie das Handwerk der Thanatopraxie erlernen? In Deutschland ist die Aufbahrung von Toten nicht weit verbreitet.]

   • 2019, Jordi Moreras, Ariadna Solé Arraràs, “Genealogies of death: Repatriation among Moroccan and Senegalese in Catalonia”, in Samira Saramo, Eerika Koskinen-Koivisto, Hanna Snellman, editors, Transnational Death (Studia Fennica Ethnologica; 17), Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society, →ISBN, pages 122 and 124 (footnote 17):

     Third, in line with this principle of community responsibility, it is understood that the handling of the deceased (the elements of Islamic thanatopraxy, from the farewell ceremony to the processing and accompanying of the body to its final destination) should remain in the hands of the members of the group, especially the closest relatives. […] Also, a Muslim mortuary was opened in 2007 in the cemetery of Montjuïc in Barcelona, so that Muslim communities could have a space where Islamic thanatopraxy could be carried out on their deceased, see Moreras and Arraràs.