Is Embalming Necessary Before Burial Or Cremation?

A century or so ago, embalming was not as common in the United States as it is today, according to Time. The Civil War brought with it an increase in the need for embalming procedures because deceased soldiers faced a long train journey home and had to be embalmed so that their bodies would reach loved ones far away without decomposing, says the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Soon, embalmers and funeral directors started recognizing the potential for profit with embalming, and by the 20th century, most funerals in the United States were professionally managed, with bodies being embalmed for viewing by close friends and family. 

Embalming remains rare in other parts of the world today (via The Baltimore Sun). While people in the United States, for a variety of reasons, have come to believe that embalming before burial or cremation is a necessary part of the funeral process, the truth is that it is far from being so.