— Sl- 
it frequently happens that onions are found inside the body 
cavity. 
The commonest situation in which the onion is found is the 
pelvis (PI. XV, figure 2) — seven cases — and next in order of 
frequency the upper part of the thorax — five cases. Twice I 
have seen onions in the epigastric region. Often there are two 
onions ; in other cases only one. They are found in both men 
and women. In one case a small onion was flattened against 
each external ear (PI. XIV, figure 2). 
The onion was always held in great respect in Egypt as an 
article of food, as an offering in tombs and also for medicinal 
and magical purposes, as the harbinger of prosperity and health. 
It is commonly used at the present day as an antiseptic. It is 
not unlikely that its powerful odour may have led to its use as a 
deodorant. 
Treatment of the Body Cavity. 
Both Herodotus and Diodorus describe the cleansing of the 
body with palm wine. We have no means of checking the 
accuracy of this statement ; but it is quite a rational procedure 
which might have been resorted to for its astringent action after 
the body was removed from the salt bath. 
When the viscera' were taken from the body the pelvic organs 
were removed as completely as possible ; in other words, they 
were cut through quite close to the perinaeum ; so that in the 
male the anus and in the female the whole rima pudendi in 
addition were left as gaping openings. These wounds were 
usually plugged (from inside the pelvis) with fragments of linen 
but in some cases the rima pudendi was sewn up with string. 
When the viscera were removed from the salt bath they were 
thickly sprinkled with the powder (coarse sawdust) of various 
aromatic woods and, while they were still flexible, they were 
