26 HUMAN DISSECTION. ITS DRAMA AND STRUGGLE 



of his body (his mummy), in the meantime, would mean the loss 

 of his soul. 



When an Egyptian passed away, it was believed that his 

 spirit had to make a long journey to the world of the dead, spe- 

 cifically to the hall where Osiris reigned as chief justice. Ob- 

 stacles had to be overcome on every hand and in order to sur- 

 mount them it was necessary to recite magical formulae and per- 

 form the proper rites for each. His ultimate success depended 

 upon how well he learned these before death. 



Eventually, it became the custom to put a written collec- 

 tion of magical spells at the disposal of a deceased in his burial 

 chamber, to help him along his way. Collectively, these were called 

 The Book of the Dead. Some of the dangers which could be en- 

 countered on the trip were the following: meeting hostile ser- 

 pents or unfortunate dead walking upside down, fire, bodily de- 

 cay and dismemberment. When a soul arrived at the judgment 

 hall, it had to make negative confessions, denying each type of 

 sin, of which there were forty-two. Finally his heart had to be 

 weighed on the scales against the feather of truth. If it were suc- 

 cessful in passing these tests, this organ was returned to its mum- 

 mified body, upon which the immortal elements began to re- 

 unite. The individual concerned now entered a new life by be- 

 coming a complete and everlasting god, residing in a heavenly 

 atmosphere where everyone was righteous and blessed. What hap- 

 pened to the condemned in hell is not known. It is told that they 

 either were overthrown or destroyed. 



From this background, it can be seen that anything which 

 violated the physical integrity of the human body, was con- 

 traindicated. Although anointing, embalming and mummifying 

 were accepted, requiring a total of seventy days to perform, little 

 anatomical knowledge was gained; what was learned, was acci- 

 dently acquired. In all preparations, the intent was strictly re- 

 ligious: to prepare the bodies for the hereafter. Destruction of 

 parts of the corpse would neutralize the possibility of a functional 

 existence in a resurrected afterlife. Mummies have been found 

 with artificial legs, arms, teeth and eyes replacing any normal 

 structures lost during life. 



