Substances connected with an Egyptian Mummy. 293 



In many of the substances discovered by this analysis, the 

 characters are so unequivocal as to render their identification- 

 easy and certain ; — such are the salts, the tannin, and colour- 

 ing matter of the bandages ; the gelatine obtained from both 

 the muscular part and the viscera ; the resins, and the pounded 

 spices from the body. There is, however, some difficulty in 

 arriving at a conclusion with the remaining, and indeed most 

 important substance ; for although its appearance, and many 

 of its chemical properties closely resemble those of wax, some 

 others approach very nearly to the properties of animal sub- 

 stances, as adipocire. 



Like wax, this substance is soluble in alcohol, but differs in 

 degree ; cold alcohol, which scarcely acts upon wax, dissolving 

 it readily. With wax, the alkalies form soaps almost insoluble 

 in water : with this substance, the alkaline soaps are very solu- 

 ble. — Nitric acid scarcely acts upon wax ; boiling nitric acid 

 exerts a very slight action upon this substance, for the loss of 

 colour depends upon the removal of a small quantity of resin, 

 which it was shown (9.) that the alcoholic solution from the 

 muscular part contains*. 



The results of the destructive distillation of both very closely 

 agree. Comparative experiments with equal weights of wax 

 were made ; the only difference noticed was, that in the distil- 

 lation of the wax the product was more acid and empyreu- 

 matic, and that the quantity of permanent gases liberated was 

 larger. With adipocire this substance agrees in its solubility 

 in cold alcohol, in forming alkaline soaps soluble in water, in 

 its point of fusibility, which is lower than that of wax, and in 

 the action of acids. 



Whether this substance be an adipocirous body formed by 

 the process of embalming, or wax introduced during that pro- 

 cess into every part of the deepest muscle, I shall not deter- 

 mine. In the appearance of the mummy there is much to fa- 

 vour the former opinion ; the bones of the most exposed parts, 

 as the head, are not in the slightest degree penetrated by this 

 waxy substance, in a fused solution of which, we must suppose 

 the body to have been many days immersed ; nor is the wax 

 found in greater abundance upon and near the surface, than 

 in the most deeply seated parts ; the cuticle covers every part 

 of the body, which scarcely would have been the case if ex- 

 posed so long to an elevated temperature. 



I am aware that Dr. Granville has, from a very elaborate 

 and interesting examination of a mummy, concluded that wax 



* The oil of cedar is one of the ingredients in the process of embalming. 

 The resinous appearance may, probably, have arisen from the use of this 

 condiment. — Note by Mr. Osburn. 



was 



