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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. LIV 



(spores), and by polarization it is determined that the bodies resemble 

 somewhat crystalline concretions, so that we are forced to the conclusion 

 that we have here some fossilized blood corpuscles. The partial filling 

 of the blood vessel may be due to coagulation or a peripheral thrombus. 

 There is also to be found frequent accumulations of reddish crystals 

 which resemble hasmatoid crystals, and which support the suggestion as 

 to the nature of the material. I give these observations with some 



We may gain an insight into the possibility of the fossilization 

 of blood corpuscles by studying the results of the researches 

 into the nature of the mummified brain material of the ancient 

 Egyptians. This subject has been studied by Mair, 2 who finds 

 that the lipoids of the brain from Coptic bodies, 500 B.C., had 

 been changed into cholesteryl stearate and palmitate. 3 Mair ob- 

 tained cholesteryl stearate by heating cholesterol with stearic 

 acid, and one may infer that the heat of the desert sands in 

 which the bodies were buried may have been an important factor 

 in the conversion of the brain lipoids into the two relatively re- 

 sistant substances, palmitate and cholesteryl stearate. These 

 brains, even those dating from a period prior to the process of 

 embalming (4500 b.c), are frequently so well preserved, though 

 greatly shrunken, that practically all the gyri may be accurately 

 determined. This item from more recent times may aid in an 

 explanation of processes occurring in geological ages. 



The studies on Egyptian mummies have not resulted in the 

 discovery of blood corpuscles. Schmidt 4 examined bodies dat- 

 ing from 1000 years before Menes (3400 B.C.) to 500 b.c. (mum- 

 mified material from Coptic bodies) and was unable to find a 

 positive haemin reaction, tending to show the complete disap- 

 pearance of all blood in the process of time. Wood Jones, 5 how- 

 ever, is convinced that traces of blood are readily discernible. 

 Elliot Smith has referred to blood stains on bandages used in 



2 W. Mair, 1913, "On the Lipoids of Ancient Egyptian Brains," J. Pol- 

 and Bacteriol, XVIII, 179-184; 188. 



3 Mair 's results are confirmed and extended by Lapworth and Royle, 1914, 

 "The Lipoids of Ancient Egyptian Brains and the Nature of Cholesteryl 

 Esters, J. Path and Bacteriol, XIX, 474-477. 



* W. A. Schmidt, 1907, ' ' Chemische und biologische Untereuchungen von 

 agyptischen Mumienmaterial, nebst Betrachtungen fiber das Einbalsamie- 

 rungsverfahren der alten Aegypter," Ztschr. f. allgem. Physiol., VII, 

 369-392. 



s F. Wood Jones, 1908, "The Post-mortem Staining of Bone Produced by 

 the Ante-mortem Shedding of Blood," Brit. Med. J., 1, 734-736. 



