Egyptian Mummies and Modern Science

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
List of Plates......Page 9
List of Figures......Page 10
Contributors......Page 13
Acknowledgments......Page 17
Preface......Page 21
Part 1: An introduction to the scientific study of mummies......Page 25
Early investigations......Page 27
The Manchester Mummy Project: initial phase (1973-1979)......Page 28
The Manchester Mummy Project: second phase (1979-1995)......Page 30
The schistosomiasis in ancient and modern Egypt project......Page 31
Instrumental methods......Page 32
The pharmacy in ancient Egypt project......Page 33
Historical background......Page 34
Natural and artificial mummification......Page 35
Mummification in the Old Kingdom......Page 37
New Kingdom mummies......Page 38
Mummification in the Third Intermediate Period......Page 39
Mummification in later times......Page 40
The contribution of mummy studies......Page 41
Part 2: Diet, disease, and death in ancient Egypt: diagnostic and investigative techniques......Page 43
Historical background......Page 45
Radiographs......Page 46
Computed radiography (CR)......Page 48
Computed tomography (CT)......Page 49
Ultrasound (US)......Page 50
Strengths and limitations......Page 52
State of the mummy and disposition of the body in the cartonnage......Page 53
Packages and artificial appendages......Page 54
Sex......Page 58
Age at death......Page 59
Disease......Page 60
Lifestyle......Page 61
Categories......Page 62
Conclusions......Page 64
Medical and industrial applications of endoscopy......Page 67
The history of endoscopy......Page 68
Endoscopy and Egyptian mummies......Page 69
The mummy of Asru, Chantress of Amun......Page 70
The mummy of Khary, Priest of Amun......Page 72
Detached heads in the Manchester Museum collection......Page 73
The historical background......Page 76
The ancient Egyptian diet......Page 77
The dietary effect on dentition......Page 78
Other dental conditions and diseases......Page 80
The dental practitioners......Page 84
The title of dentist......Page 85
Dental prescriptions that have been found in the papyri......Page 86
Concepts associated with dental disease......Page 88
Evidence of dental treatment......Page 89
Techniques of rehydration and fixation......Page 95
Embedding and sectioning the mummified tissue......Page 97
The staining process......Page 99
Identification of bacteria and fungi......Page 101
Histological examination of mummified cats......Page 102
The effects of oxidation and putrefaction......Page 103
The contribution of skeletal material......Page 104
Textile studies......Page 106
Introduction......Page 107
Resins and bitumen......Page 108
Arsenic......Page 109
Methods of rehydration......Page 110
Light microscopy......Page 111
Tuberculosis......Page 112
Treponematoses......Page 113
Plague......Page 114
Palaeoparasitology......Page 115
Cancer/neoplastic diseases......Page 116
Diet/palaeonutrition/vitamin deficiency......Page 117
Heavy metals......Page 118
Bone and joints......Page 119
Nervous system and palaeoneurology......Page 120
Medical conditions recorded in art/palaeopathology in art......Page 121
Conclusions......Page 122
Foreword......Page 123
Immunocytochemistry......Page 124
Schistosomiasis......Page 125
The development of immunocytochemistry for ancient samples......Page 126
Materials and method......Page 129
Results......Page 133
Discussion......Page 135
Conclusion......Page 138
Foreword......Page 140
The method that revolutionized ancient DNA analysis......Page 141
Overview of ancient molecular work......Page 142
Limitations......Page 143
Environmental effects on ancient DNA......Page 144
Sibship studies......Page 146
Diseases......Page 147
The Schistosomiasis project - methods and materials......Page 148
Extraction of ancient DNA by using instagene matrix......Page 149
Sequencing and precipitation of sequenced DNA......Page 150
DNA extraction results......Page 151
Amplification of modern and ancient DNA......Page 152
Other studies......Page 153
Conclusion......Page 155
Introduction - organic methods......Page 157
Sample preparation......Page 159
Chromatography......Page 160
Pyrolysis......Page 162
Electromagnetic spectrum......Page 179
Infrared spectroscopy......Page 180
Nuclear magnetic resonance......Page 182
Electron paramagnetic (spin) resonance......Page 183
Visible light microscopy......Page 184
Stereochemistry......Page 185
Gas chromatography......Page 189
Mass spectrometry......Page 190
X-ray techniques......Page 192
X-ray generation......Page 193
Powder X-ray diffraction......Page 194
Electron microprobe......Page 196
Scanning electron microscopy......Page 198
Environmental scanning electron microscopy......Page 200
Introduction......Page 202
The accuracy of facial reconstruction......Page 203
Three-dimensional facial reconstruction......Page 206
The uses of facial reconstruction in Egyptological investigations......Page 207
Part 3: The treatment of disease in ancient Egypt......Page 219
Sources for the study of Egyptian medicine......Page 221
The role of magic in medical practice......Page 222
The medical practitioners......Page 223
The temple: a centre of healing and education......Page 225
The medical papyri......Page 226
The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus......Page 227
The Edwin Smith Papyrus......Page 228
The Hearst Papyrus......Page 230
The Chester Beatty Papyri V, VI, VII, VIII and XV......Page 231
The London and Leiden Papyrus......Page 232
The contribution of human remains to the study of Egyptian medicine......Page 233
Introduction......Page 235
The origins of opium......Page 236
The poppy in New Kingdom Egypt......Page 237
Bil-bil juglets......Page 238
Analytical work on opium in ancient Egypt......Page 239
Cypriot base II ring ware juglets: an alternative explanation......Page 242
Botany and phytochemistry of Nymphaea spp.......Page 244
The evidence for ingestion of water lily......Page 245
Analysis of the Egyptian water lilies......Page 246
Water lilies as aphrodisiacs......Page 248
Cocaine and nicotine......Page 249
Sampling from Egyptian mummies: the problems......Page 250
Cocaine and nicotine in ancient populations......Page 251
Critique of Dr Balabanova's work on drug analysis in mummies......Page 253
Cocaine: an alternative explanation......Page 254
Conclusions......Page 255
The classical history of pharmacy......Page 256
Translational uncertainties......Page 257
Forensic evaluation......Page 258
Pharmacy practise in ancient Egypt......Page 260
Raw materials......Page 261
Preparation of remedies......Page 262
Measurement......Page 263
Administration of remedies......Page 264
Therapeutic effect of drugs in ancient Egypt......Page 266
The efficacy of drugs used in ancient Egypt......Page 267
Trauma and wound management......Page 271
Conclusions......Page 272
Part 4: Resources for studying mummies......Page 275
Introduction......Page 277
Establishing the International Ancient Egyptian Mummy Tissue Bank......Page 279
The formation and development of the tissue bank......Page 280
Collecting the samples......Page 282
The tissue bank documentation system......Page 283
The role of the tissue bank in supporting research......Page 284
The future of the tissue bank......Page 285
Introduction......Page 287
Deterioration of mummies......Page 288
Conservation treatments for Egyptian mummies......Page 289
Environmental control......Page 290
Treatments to counteract fungal, bacterial, and insect attack......Page 291
Physical repair, handling, and support of mummies......Page 293
The impact of conservation treatments on future scientific investigations......Page 294
Part 5: The future of biomedical and scientific studies in Egyptology......Page 295
Introduction......Page 297
The KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology......Page 298
Some future possibilities......Page 300
References......Page 303
Website references......Page 335
Index......Page 337