",'2 Account of the Mummy dissected by Dr. Granville. 



Dr.Granville next proceeded to draw some conclusions as to 

 the aoe at which this mummified female died, and respecting 

 the di^;ease which destioyed her. The bones of the ilium ex- 

 hibit that peculiar thinness of their osseous plates which shows 

 the individual to have exceeded her fortieth year, and to have 

 borne children ; and as there are no characters of age or of 

 decrepitude about the skeleton, the author considers her to 

 have been about fifty. The ovarium and broad ligament of 

 the right side were enveloped in a mass of diseased structure, 

 while the fallopian tube of the same side was sound ; but the 

 uterus itself was larger than natural, and the remains of a sac 

 were found connected with the left ovarium, — all which, in 

 conjunction with the appearance of the abdominal integuments, 

 leave no doubt of ovarian dropsy having been the disease un- 

 der which the individual sufferetl. — Judging from tlie excava- 

 tion out of whicii the mnnmiy was taken, and according to 

 the best authorities of the present day on Egyptian Antiquities, 

 the period at which the woman lived must have been about 

 three thousand years ago. 



The author concludes this communication with some ob- 

 servations respecting the method of embalming practised by 

 the ancient Egyptians, and the nature of the substances em- 

 ployed in the process ; from the details of which, in conjunc- 

 tion with the results of his own researches and experiments, 

 as well synthetical as analytical, he draws the conclusions fol- 

 lowing : That the abdominal viscera were more or less perfectly 

 abstracted either through an incision on one side of the ab- 

 domen, or, as in the present mummy, through the anus. The 

 thoracic cavity was not disturbed. That the contents of the 

 cranium were removed, — sometimes through the nostrils, and 

 in others through one of the orbits. The body was then pro- 

 bably covered with quicklime, to facilitate the removal of the 

 cuticle, the scalp and nails being however left luitouched ; 

 after which it was immersed in a melted mixture of bees'-wax, 

 resin, and bitumen, until thoroughly penetrated ; and, ulti- 

 mately, subjected to a tanning liquor, probably made with the 

 saline water of the neighbouring natron lakes. The bandages 

 were then apjilied, with the occasional interposition of melted 

 resin, or wax and resin, the lumps of resin, myrrh, &c., having 

 been previously placed in the abdomen. 



In order fully to establish these conclusions respecting the 

 mummifying process, Dr. Granville had prepared several imi- 

 tative munnnies by its means; some of which bore the closest 

 resemblance to the Egyptian, and had withstood putrefaction 

 tor upwards of three years, though exposed to the vicissitudes 

 of a variable climate without any covering, or other pre- 

 cautionary 



