Refreshing Lenin's corpse for his 145th birthday

David Pescovitz 8:42 am Mon May 4, 2015

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A half-dozen Russian anatomists, biochemists, and surgeons care for Vladimir Lenin's publicly-displayed preserved body and also that of Ho Chi Minh, Kim Il-sung, and Kim Jong-il.

They're known as the "Mausoleum group." Scientific American looks at the science behind these feats of embalming. From SciAm:

To maintain the precise condition of Lenin's body, the staff must perform regular maintenance on the corpse and sometimes even replace parts with an excruciating attention to detail. Artificial eyelashes have taken the place of Lenin's original eyelashes, which were damaged during the initial embalming procedures. The lab had to deal with mold and wrinkles on certain parts of Lenin's body, especially in the early years. Researchers developed artificial skin patches when a piece of skin on Lenin's foot went missing in 1945. They resculpted Lenin's nose, face and other parts of the body to restore them to their original feel and appearance. A moldable material made of paraffin, glycerin and carotene has replaced much of the skin fat to maintain the original "landscape" of the skin.

"Lenin's Body Improves with Age"

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