1|Page
Thanatology Exam Questions 100%
Correct Answers
What was the major killer during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔plague
About how many people were killed a day from plague during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔thousands of
people a day
What is every major city located near? - ✔✔a river because water is essential for an adequately
functioning civilization
What was the result of major cities being placed near rivers? - ✔✔rats
What did rats cause/carry? - ✔✔plague and disease
What were two proponents that contributed to plague during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔- food infestation
- lack of hygiene
How were bodies disposed of during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔they were laid out on the curb (like infected
garbage) to be picked up and removed for mass burial
Who discovered the venous system? - ✔✔Leonardo da Vinci
Who painted the Vitruvian Man? - ✔✔Leonardo da Vinci
Who theorized 50 anatomical drawings from observed dissections? - ✔✔Leonardo da Vinci
What was popular about anatomy during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔human dissection to research functional
human anatomy
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,2|Page
physiogomy - ✔✔the anatomical structure of the body
Who founded and allowed for the blood-letting of monks? - ✔✔King Henry VIII
Why was blood-letting allowed? - ✔✔to attempt to find a cure for disease
Who were the Christian monks? - ✔✔they were used as guinea pigs for blood letting
What is blood-letting? - ✔✔the release of blood from the body that is though to be "tainted" or "diseased"
as an attempt to cure the person of illness
Who actually performed blood-letting? - ✔✔quack barber-surgeons
What is the significance of the barber shop's red and white striped spinner? - ✔✔signified the blood and
the gauze of the monk's head
Who forbid blood-letting? - ✔✔The Pope
Where did the rise of English undertakers begin? - ✔✔Europe
What kind of medicine was also practiced during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔voodoo medicine
What kinds of caskets were used during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔ice caskets
Who were William and Harvey Hunter? - ✔✔brother physicians who discovered Hunter's Canal
- they dissected for the purpose of studying preservation
Where were caskets originally made? - ✔✔furniture stores and by cabinet makers
Who was Jacob Knorr? - ✔✔German immigrant cabinet-maker in the late 1700s.
- lived in Germantown, Philadelphia
- worked with his nephews, Kirk and Nice
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
, 3|Page
Where was the first funeral home in the U.S. established? - ✔✔Kirk and Nice Funeral Home in
Germantown area of Philadelphia, PA
About how many funeral homes exist in the U.S. today? - ✔✔~19,000
Who created the first retort in the U.S.? - ✔✔Dr. Julius LeMoyne
Why did Dr. Julius LeMoyne build a retort? - ✔✔he thought that cremation was more sanitary than burial
of a corpse into the ground
When was the first crematory built in the U.S.? - ✔✔1886 by Dr. Julius LeMoyne in Washington, PA
What was the first retort made of? - ✔✔brick and stone
How was the first crematory ignited? - ✔✔with the use of gas
How would ice be delivered in the Middle Ages for ice caskets - ✔✔it would be delivered from northern
Maine to the major city's ice houses where people could buy ice for their caskets and for other uses in
their homes
Who was the first person attributed to embalming by arterial injection in the U.S.? - ✔✔Dr. Thomas
Holmes
When was embalming prevalent by Dr. Thomas Holmes? - ✔✔1860s during the Civil War Era
Who is the Father of American Embalming? - ✔✔Dr. Thomas Holmes
What were the hand pumps used during the civil war to embalm filled with? - ✔✔anything they could
find that would slightly preserve the body; this could include arsenic, alcohol, various poisons, etc.
How effective was the embalming during the civil war era? - ✔✔wasn't enough to preserve as we know
today, but it was able to retard decomposition long enough for the body to be returned home to their
family
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
Thanatology Exam Questions 100%
Correct Answers
What was the major killer during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔plague
About how many people were killed a day from plague during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔thousands of
people a day
What is every major city located near? - ✔✔a river because water is essential for an adequately
functioning civilization
What was the result of major cities being placed near rivers? - ✔✔rats
What did rats cause/carry? - ✔✔plague and disease
What were two proponents that contributed to plague during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔- food infestation
- lack of hygiene
How were bodies disposed of during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔they were laid out on the curb (like infected
garbage) to be picked up and removed for mass burial
Who discovered the venous system? - ✔✔Leonardo da Vinci
Who painted the Vitruvian Man? - ✔✔Leonardo da Vinci
Who theorized 50 anatomical drawings from observed dissections? - ✔✔Leonardo da Vinci
What was popular about anatomy during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔human dissection to research functional
human anatomy
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
,2|Page
physiogomy - ✔✔the anatomical structure of the body
Who founded and allowed for the blood-letting of monks? - ✔✔King Henry VIII
Why was blood-letting allowed? - ✔✔to attempt to find a cure for disease
Who were the Christian monks? - ✔✔they were used as guinea pigs for blood letting
What is blood-letting? - ✔✔the release of blood from the body that is though to be "tainted" or "diseased"
as an attempt to cure the person of illness
Who actually performed blood-letting? - ✔✔quack barber-surgeons
What is the significance of the barber shop's red and white striped spinner? - ✔✔signified the blood and
the gauze of the monk's head
Who forbid blood-letting? - ✔✔The Pope
Where did the rise of English undertakers begin? - ✔✔Europe
What kind of medicine was also practiced during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔voodoo medicine
What kinds of caskets were used during the Middle Ages? - ✔✔ice caskets
Who were William and Harvey Hunter? - ✔✔brother physicians who discovered Hunter's Canal
- they dissected for the purpose of studying preservation
Where were caskets originally made? - ✔✔furniture stores and by cabinet makers
Who was Jacob Knorr? - ✔✔German immigrant cabinet-maker in the late 1700s.
- lived in Germantown, Philadelphia
- worked with his nephews, Kirk and Nice
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
, 3|Page
Where was the first funeral home in the U.S. established? - ✔✔Kirk and Nice Funeral Home in
Germantown area of Philadelphia, PA
About how many funeral homes exist in the U.S. today? - ✔✔~19,000
Who created the first retort in the U.S.? - ✔✔Dr. Julius LeMoyne
Why did Dr. Julius LeMoyne build a retort? - ✔✔he thought that cremation was more sanitary than burial
of a corpse into the ground
When was the first crematory built in the U.S.? - ✔✔1886 by Dr. Julius LeMoyne in Washington, PA
What was the first retort made of? - ✔✔brick and stone
How was the first crematory ignited? - ✔✔with the use of gas
How would ice be delivered in the Middle Ages for ice caskets - ✔✔it would be delivered from northern
Maine to the major city's ice houses where people could buy ice for their caskets and for other uses in
their homes
Who was the first person attributed to embalming by arterial injection in the U.S.? - ✔✔Dr. Thomas
Holmes
When was embalming prevalent by Dr. Thomas Holmes? - ✔✔1860s during the Civil War Era
Who is the Father of American Embalming? - ✔✔Dr. Thomas Holmes
What were the hand pumps used during the civil war to embalm filled with? - ✔✔anything they could
find that would slightly preserve the body; this could include arsenic, alcohol, various poisons, etc.
How effective was the embalming during the civil war era? - ✔✔wasn't enough to preserve as we know
today, but it was able to retard decomposition long enough for the body to be returned home to their
family
Katelyn Whitman© 2025, All Rights Reserved.
