Mortuary Mnemonics

A two for one! Today we bridge anatomy and ceremonies. From your ceremonies class you probably learned the term genuflect . This refers to lowering of the body by bending a knee to the ground. This it often seen in ceremonies as a sign of worship. In anatomy we refer to the six arteries that in the leg branch from the distal femoral and the popliteal arteries as the genicular arteries. Genicular i...

After death the body goes through many chemical and physical changes.  One of these is termed the postmortem pH shift.    In the early postmortem phase the body becomes acidic. This is because of continued metabolism and the lack of elimination of waste. As time progresses the body becomes more alkaline (or basic) due to proteins breaking down and the liberation of nitrogen from ami...

Here’s a mnemonic for your history class. Ancient Egyptian embalming/mummification included canopic jars. These are containers that were used to store viscera that had been dried in natron that was not returned to the body. There were four canopic jars and describes the tops of the jars as representative of the children of Horus. These are described as a jackal head, a human head, a hawk head and...

The various strains are either Oral fecal or Blood borne but which is which? Is A blood borne? Is C blood borne? Here’s a simple mnemonic that will help you differentiate  these forever. A and E are vowels, Oral/fecal  begins  with O, which is also a vowel. (Pro-tip -  the vowels are bowels) B, C, and D are consonants, and Blood borne begins with a consonant. Just remember Vowels and Consonants an...

An easy way to remember the three parts of the small intestines in the anatomical order they are found.  Duodenum, Jejunum, Ilium.  If you take the first letters of Duodenum and Jejunum you get DJ, then add Ilium for D.J. Ilium!