What is tanatoprassi, “temporary packaging” to preserve the corpses that are exposed to the public

It is a technique used to preserve – for a period of time from 10 to 15 days – the appearance and the fabrics of the deceased: tanatoprassi is a kind of “Temporary packaging”, which becomes necessary when the body must be publicly exposed.

Was used to preserve the body of Benedict XVIEmeritus Pope Joseph Ratzinger, who died on December 31, 2022 at 95 years old, before exposure to the Vatican.

But it is the same procedure to which many other prominent personalities were also subjected. Among them, Pope John Paul II: After his death in 2005, Karol Wojtyła’s body was subjected to Tanatoprassi to allow the faithful to pay homage to him during the public exposure.

Also Luciano Pavarottiwho disappeared in 2007, was treated with this technique to preserve its body during funeral ceremonies. The bodies of Carniato Benetton Rosawife of Luciano Benetton, Nicole Bulgariof the historic family famous for luxury jewelry, Enzo Jannaccidisappeared in 2013. But also that of Pelédied in December 2022: the treatment was carried out to preserve the body during the public exhibition in Santos, Brazil, where thousands of people paid homage to the legend of football.

To deal with the body of Benedict XVI with Tanatoprassi was a team of doctors led by Dr. Andrea Fantozzi, president of the Italian Association of Tanatoprassi (AIT) and the Italian National Institute of Tanatoprassi (Init).

The technique is defined, on the ITIT portal, “a” post-Morthem “treatment” “which” consists in the Hygienic care care of the body after deathbut it is above all a treatment that aims to create a highly hygienic process in the funerary and cemetery sector ».

The body, in the hours following death, undergoes a quick transformation: the escape of organic liquids and nauseating vapors make the funeral vigil more traumatic and, also, potentially dangerous. Tanatoprassi is used to avoid this situation: «This is possible through an injection into the arterial system of a preservative fluid and a series of aesthetic treatments that allow you to preserve an integral image of the loved one, thus eliminating the decomposition process for a few weeks ».

Nothing to do with permanent packaging: tanatoprassi guarantees the “body’s dust return” in a maximum time of 10 years (while, normally, without any treatment, it takes about 40 years, in some cases even 80).

Tanatoprassi It is also used in forensic medicine: By temporarily blocking the decomposition of the body, fix the tissues and lesions as in a histological preparation, allowing to perform the investigations more easily. The same applies in the case of the exhumations made necessary by judicial investigations: the results of the exams on the body will be more reliable on a treated corpse.