Mortuary Mnemonics

One letter. Two different ways to hold moisture!

ADsorb = ADheres to the surface.
Think of the D in aDsorb and a Desiccant like silica gel.

ABsorb = Brings it in.
Think of a sponge taking water into its material.

Stick around or come inside? That’s your latest Mortuary Mnemonics memory cue! 🎙️

Stay curious and keep learning.

🕖 Coffee at 7. 🕛 Tea at 12. 🕔 Liquor at 5.

Remember your vertebrae with Spine O’Clock: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar. The time gives you the number; the drink gives you the letter. ☕🫖🥃

Remember algor mortis by connecting it to Al Gore and An Inconvenient Truth. This quick mnemonic helps you recall how the body acclimates to the ambient temperature after death.

Dendrites draw information in, while axons carry nerve impulses away from the cell body. Use the simple mnemonic “Dendrites Draw In; Axons Away” to remember the direction of neuronal communication for your anatomy exams and National Board preparation.

Differentiate between Biological Vectors and Mechanical Vectors with ease.

Podcast Title: HONC – The Shortcut to Bonding Patterns

In embalming chemistry, we only need to know severalelements and how they interact with each other. For example, how they will bond with one another.  If you’ve ever looked at a chemical structureand thought, how many bonds should this atom make?  There’s a simple mnemonic that can guide youevery time: HONC.

H-O-N-C.

Each letter represents a common element and the number ofbonds it typically forms.

H is 1.
O is 2.
N is 3.
C is 4.

That’s it.

This comes from the idea of valence electrons, butyou don’t need to get lost in the theory. What matters for us is recognizingpredictable bonding patterns.

Hydrogen wants one bond. It’s stable when it shares oneelectron.

Oxygen typically forms two bonds.

Nitrogen forms three bonds.

And carbon forms four bonds. This is why carbon is thebackbone of organic chemistry, it can build complex, stable structures.

So when you’re visualizing molecules or thinking about howchemicals interact, HONC gives you a quick mental check.

If something looks off—too many or too few bonds—you’llcatch it.

In fields like embalming chemistry, where we’re dealing withreactive molecules like formaldehyde, understanding these bonding patternshelps explain how crosslinking happens and why preservation works the way itdoes.

So remember:

HONC.
1, 2, 3, 4.

When you think gout, think TOE, because that’s where it loves to start. The big toe joint, or first metatarsophalangeal joint, is the classic site for that sharp, fiery pain that wakes people at night.

Now add TOPHI spelled T-O-P-H-I those are the chalky white deposits that form when uric acid crystals build up over time. Think of them as little mountains of urate that appear on ears, elbows, or even fingers.

So remember: TOE for the first attack, TOPHI for the chronic stage.
Gout begins in the toe and ends with tophi. It's a simple way to recall the progression from acute inflammation to long-term crystal buildup.

That’s your minute mnemonic — TOE and TOPHI — from acute pain to chronic deposit.”

“ABCs of the Aortic Arch.”

A is for Aortic Arch – the main curve of theaorta.
From there, the branches go in this order:
B – Brachiocephalic artery
C – Left Common carotid artery
S – Left Subclavian artery

Think: A – B – C – S.

Quick tip: the brachiocephalic only comes off the rightside—so it later splits into the right subclavian and right commoncarotid. The left side gets its own direct branches.

Rigor mortis, the stiffening of muscles after death due to fluctuation

F is for Flex.

E is for Extend.

R is for Rotate.

M is for Manipulate.

Phocomelia s a  congenital condition that involves

For the purposes of mortuary school, phocomelia is described as a condition in which the proximal portions of the limbs are poorly developed or missing.

As with many medical terms, phocomelia can be broken apart into smaller words.  Here melia refers to a condition of the limbs.   Melos is Greek for limb.  I suggest keeping this one in the memory banks as it will come up in the future.