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Panzer S, Treitl M, Zesch S, Rosendahl W, Helmbold-Doyé J, Thompson RC, Zink AR. Radiological evidence of purulent infections in ancient Egyptian child mummies. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2022; 36:30-35. [PMID: 34974252 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify computed tomography (CT) findings of purulent infections in ancient Egyptian child mummies. MATERIALS Whole-body CT examination of 21 ancient Egyptian child mummies from German (n = 18), Italian (n = 1), and Swiss museums (n = 2). METHODS CT examinations were evaluated for estimation of age at death and sex of the children. CT examinations were systematically assessed for any CT findings of purulent infection. RESULTS The estimated age at death of the children ranged from about one year to the age of 12-14 years (mean 4.8 years). Twelve children were assessed as male, seven as female and in two sex was indeterminate. Three out of 21 child mummies (14.3%) had radiological evidence of purulent infections. In one mummy, a bandage-like structure at the right lower leg was detected that most likely represented a dressing of a skin lesion. CONCLUSIONS This study appears to be the first to describe radiologically visualized structures consistent with dried pus in ancient Egyptian mummies. This study also appears to be the first to physically demonstrate an original ancient Egyptian dressing. SIGNIFICANCE These cases may serve as models for further paleopathological investigation. The evidence of an original dressing contributes to our knowledge of ancient Egyptian medicine. LIMITATIONS CT was used as the only examination method as sampling of the wrapped mummies was not possible. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Radiological-pathological correlation in mummies in which physical sampling is available may reveal further insights into purulent infections in ancient Egypt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Panzer
- Department of Radiology, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik Murnau, Prof-Küntscher-Straße 8, D-82418 Murnau, Germany; Institute of Biomechanics, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik Murnau and Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria, Prof-Küntscher-Straße 8, D-82418 Murnau, Germany.
| | - Marcus Treitl
- Department of Radiology, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik Murnau, Prof-Küntscher-Straße 8, D-82418 Murnau, Germany.
| | - Stephanie Zesch
- German Mummy Project, Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Museum Weltkulturen D5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Wilfried Rosendahl
- German Mummy Project, Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Museum Weltkulturen D5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Jana Helmbold-Doyé
- Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 6, D-10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Randall C Thompson
- Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 4330 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA.
| | - Albert R Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, I-39100 Bolzano, Italy.
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Moissidou D, Derricott H, Kamel G. Mummified embalmed head skin: SR-FTIR microspectroscopic exploration. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2021; 261:120073. [PMID: 34147735 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.120073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This case report details the examination of the skin of an Egyptian mummified head with a possible skin disorder. The head, thought to be dated in the first half of the 18th Dynasty, New Kingdom (1570-1400 BCE) belongs to the Museum of Forensic Anthropology, University of Madrid. Initial histological examination demonstrated evidence of chronic inflammation, which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). However, confirmation of pathology could be confounded by both the age of the specimen and the process of preservation by mummification. In this case report, Synchrotron Radiation Fourier Transform Microspectroscopy (SR-µFTIR) was used to add novel insights into embalmed mummified tissue. More precisely, FTIR is used for the first time on the specific specimens, while no other similar studies have been performed on these samples priorly. Additionally, modern skin tissue was examined too, in order to compare the amount of degradation to the mummified one. Whilst the FTIR results confirmed the results from the initial histological study, they also showed a biochemical modification of the mummified skin that could be indicative of tissue degradation. The latter was supported by comparing it to FTIR results of the modern tissue used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Despina Moissidou
- Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Malta Campus, Malta
| | - Hayley Derricott
- Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Malta Campus, Malta
| | - Gihan Kamel
- SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East), Allan, Jordan; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.
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Wang H, Chen JM, Wang XS, You ZQ, Chen D, Chen QL, Wu XY, Peng GC, Xia ZD, Tang HH, Yan XX, Huang JF, Luo XG. Reappraisal of the Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver Thirty Years After Its Unearthing. Biopreserv Biobank 2019; 17:98-104. [PMID: 30920309 DOI: 10.1089/bio.2019.0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The Mawangdui tomb No.1 cadaver, a female corpse from the Western Han Dynasty, was unearthed in 1972. Forensic examination at the time of discovery indicated fairly remarkable presence of bodily constituents at the anatomical, histological, and molecular levels. The cadaver was preserved in a formalin-based fixative afterward, and maintained in the Hunan Museum. To better protect this rare human corpse, a reappraisal of the status of preservation was carried out using noninvasive approaches, including X-ray radiography, gross anatomical examination, and histological, microbiological, and molecular analyses of sampled tissues. The cadaver remained essentially intact from a gross anatomical perspective, with radiography of the skeletal system and arterial contrast filling appeared comparable with the original documentation. The light microscopic features of the skin, cartilage, and skeletal muscle remained detectable, as were the stratified ultrastructure of the collagen and muscle fibers. The levels of nitrogen and amino acidic elements appeared elevated in the cadaver and liver preservation fixatives, with a higher calcium and phosphate concentration in the former. These findings suggest that there existed a certain degree of macromolecule degradation and bone decalcification in the cadaver, likely irrelevant to biological decomposition. The reappraisal also led to the implementation of stronger scientific measures to better protect the cadaver through a renovated Museum-University coadministrative management agreement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wang
- 1 Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.,2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jian-Ming Chen
- 1 Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.,3 Hunan Museum, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xiao-Sheng Wang
- 1 Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.,2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zhen-Qun You
- 2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.,3 Hunan Museum, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Dan Chen
- 1 Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.,2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Qing-Lin Chen
- 2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xiao-Ying Wu
- 2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Guang-Chun Peng
- 4 Department of Radiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zhong-Di Xia
- 2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Hui-Huan Tang
- 5 Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xiao-Xin Yan
- 1 Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.,2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Ju-Fang Huang
- 1 Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.,2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xue-Gang Luo
- 1 Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.,2 Center for Preservation of Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver, Morphological Science Building, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
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