- 18 — 
XXIst dynasty. 
MUSCLES. 
Muscles These muscles are as dry as tinder and flake off easily. They much resemble dry 
I'^ilu^Uear'^t c'^™*"^'^^ leaves and like the latter, can easily be crushed to powder between the fingers. 
collect iuii Tiie\- dissolve entirely in the ordinary softening solution, but their structure is made 
evident by placing them in 30 "/o alcohol containing only a trace of carbonate of soda. 
A small fragment is then teased out under the microscope from time to time, when 
after an hour or two, the transverse striation of the muscular fibres and the sar- 
colemna are demonstrable as a rule. The striation is regular, though owing to the great 
shrinkage of the muscle, the transverse bands are of course much smaller than in the 
muscles of modern times (Plate VI. Fig. 2). 
Muscles of the The voluntary muscles examined were the great pectoral, diaphragm, cremaster 
and finger muscles, and all proved equally good objects for histological examination. 
Their appearance is very deceptive, as sometimes they resemble a lump of resin, 
so that the diagnosis between muscles and resin by the naked eye is not unfrequently 
almost impossible. As an instance, I may relate that the first muscular fibres which I 
ever saw, were found while examining under the microscope a small particle of what 
I had thought to be resin. Such a nmscle is of stony hardness and brittle. When broken 
across it shows a smooth, dark brown, shiny and glistening surface. In other cases the 
muscle is pale-yellow, fibrous in appearance, and thin strands can then be easily teased 
out. This was especially so in mummies of the XVIIItli-XXth dynasties, in which the 
limbs had not been packed. 
For purposes of demonstration, small fragments were macerated in a very weak 
solution of caustic potash (0,5-0,01 "/o) and then teased. The teased fibres were stained 
with eosm or acid fuchsin, washed in water, alcohol, xylol and mounted in Canada 
balsam (Plate VI. Fig. 2). Unstained preparations, however, show histological details 
quite as well if not better than stained slides. 
The fibres appear to be somewhat stiffer and thinner than normal. The trans- 
verse striation is conspicuous throughout the whole length of the fibre. The perfectly 
stained transverse bands are certainly not as wide as those of modern muscles. No 
doubt the shrinkrage due to a desiccation lasting nigh on 3000 years, has not been 
compensated by a few hours stay in an alkaline fluid. Nuclei are never seen. 
The sarcolemna is often noticeable and forms a thin transparent membrane, speci- 
ally well seen where, during manipulation, the fibre has been twisted or torn (Plate VI. 
Fig. 3). The striation is also obvious in sections, provided these are nearly parallel to 
the long axis of the muscle, which is seldom the case. The muscle then often looks as if 
it were breaking into discs, and this is especially marked in sections of the cremaster 
muscle. 
