- 15 — 
Before the body was put into the macerating solution (soda bath) by the embal- Mummies of the 
mers, eacli nail of both hands and feet was carefully secured by a piece of string wound ^^^^^ dynasty. 
in a circular manner round the finger or toe, so that when the epidermis peeled off, it 
did not carry the nails with it. The impressions left by these pieces of string are visible 
in almost all cases, and it often happens that the string is left in position on one or more 
fingers or toes. In most cases, however, the string was removed when the body was 
taken out of the salt tank. Prof. Elliot Smith gives various photographs illustrating this, 
but as I shall show presently, in many cases the epidermis, especially that of the toes 
and hands is practically normal. 
Several pieces of skin from the front of the chest and fingers of various men and 
from one woman were examined. The whole finger of one mummy was macerated for 
a fortnight in 90 alcohol, containing 3 "/o of pure nitric acid, then transferred to pure 
alcohol, which was repeatedly changed until all the acid had been washed out. 
The skin before being prepared is yellowish white, very hard and brittle, so hard 
indeed as often to break the edge of the knife (Plate II. Fig. 3). When broken across, 
the fractured surface is smooth and glistening; the muscles below dark brown, hard 
and glistening, with a distinctly resinous fracture. The connective tissue, fat etc., 
between the muscle and skin are not recognisable. Under the influence of the softening 
solution, the skin of the chest and mamma separate into 2 layers; the first is composed 
of the muscles and the greater part of the connective tissue, which sink to the bottom of 
the vessel, and the second of the dermis which floats on the surface. The latter is exquisi- 
tely smooth, soft and much resembles yellow wash-leather, except that it is not so pliable. 
The epidermis on the fingers is well preserved, and long thin strips of a yellow 
colour float off when the finger is allowed to soak in the acid, alcoholic solution. These 
prove to be layers of horny scales, which, though somewhat thinned out, are easily 
recognisable (Plate V. Fig. 4). 
The rete mucosum of the skin of chest and mamma is almost completely gone 
(Plate V. Fig. 2). I at first attributed this state of things to the effect of the salt bath, 
but that it cannot be wholly due to this is proved by the fact that the epidermis of 
bodies which had certainly never been placed in this bath had also fallen off. This 
shedding of the epidermis did not take place in the softening solution used by me, for 
some of the extraneous material in which the skin had been packed (bits of bandages 
and sawdust etc. ) was still in contact with the corium (Plate V. Fig. 2. a.). The few epi- 
thelium cells which are left behind are usually found in the depressions between the 
papillae, forming the somewhat wavy free border of the preparation. 
The outermost layer of the corium of the chest and mamma is represented by 
wavy homogeneous tissue with no particular structure. Its texture, however, is closer 
than in the parts below and it stains intensely. The deeper parts of the corium and the 
connective tissue below form a loose network ; so loose indeed as to show that a good 
deal of the original connective tissue has disappeared (Plate V. Fig. 2). 
