16/08/2025
๐ฐ๏ธ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐
๐ข๐ง๐: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ โฐ๏ธ
Feast your eyes on this mesmerizing piece of early 20th-century funeral tech โ a JASCO embalming machine from the Jamison-Semple Co. Inc., a New York-based manufacturer of hospital surgical supplies and equipment, once located at 152 Lexington Ave, New York City.
โ๏ธ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ญ?
This electric embalming machine represents a major evolution in mortuary science. Prior to devices like this, embalmers relied on gravity-based systems or hand pumps. But machines like the JASCO introduced motor-powered fluid injection, offering precise, pressurized delivery of embalming fluid (usually formaldehyde-based) into a cadaverโs arterial system โ slowing decomposition and restoring lifelike appearance for viewings.
The motor, flywheel, and piston assembly worked together to pump fluid from glass jars through tubing into the deceased. Glass reservoirs held both arterial fluids and cavity fluids, with pressure regulation components (you can see one marked โLOW/OFFโ in your unit). The entire setup sits on a sturdy hardwood base with metal mounts, typical of early electrical medical devices.
๐๏ธ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ซ
Jamison-Semple Co. (JASCO) was one of several major players in the early 20th-century medical and mortuary supply industry, providing hospitals, funeral homes, and embalmers with essential tools and chemicals. Though not as widely remembered today as companies like Dodge or Embalmersโ Supply Company (ESCO), JASCO machines were dependable and built to last.
๐ฐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ง?
In the 1920sโ30s, a JASCO embalming machine like this would have cost around $75โ$150 USD, equivalent to about $1,200โ$2,500 today โ a serious investment for a funeral home or embalmer. Many were advertised in trade publications or sold via regional catalogs.
๐ต ๐๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฐ?
Today, even in non-working condition, this unit is highly collectible. It would appeal to:
โข Medical & mortuary history collectors
โข Antique medical museums
โข Steampunk or industrial decor fans
โข Oddities & macabre collectors
๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ (๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ญ):
โข $250โ$500 USD in fair, non-working condition
โข $600โ$900+ USD if cleaned, partially restored, or with provenance
โข $1,000+ USD if fully functional or in museum-level preservation
๐ ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฅ?
This is more than a machine โ itโs a mechanical witness to a time when death care was rapidly professionalizing. Embalmers moved from iceboxes and rudimentary tools to electricity-powered, regulated systems like this. Each component tells a story of technological, cultural, and even spiritual evolution in how we care for the dead.
๐ https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/jameson-semple-co-hospital-surgical-supply-and-eq-8301-c-6914957907
