- 25 - 
The livers of these children were in an almost perfect state of preservation, and Roman and 
„ , , . , ■ 1 i 1 Greek children. 
histologically, bile ducts, bloodvessels, cells and connective tissue were almost normal. 
I have examined the gallbladder of a child of the Greek period, the histological 
structure of which was almost perfect. 
LUNGS. 
The lungs of the ancient Egyptians were apparently dried in different ways. Some- Lmujs of the 
times each lung when still pliable was folded, and the jackal-headed figure « Tuamautef» ^^^^^ dynasty 
placed in the tube thus formed. The pleura, though wrinkled by desiccation, is some- 
times easily demonstrated. Such lungs were certainly not bound to the costal pleura 
by any strong adhesions, for had this been the case, the organs would have been torn 
during the process of removal. On the contrary they are perfect. The small déficiences 
in the pleura which I have observed were probably produced postmortem, and through 
the little holes so formed the spongy reticular tissue of the lungs was evident. One of 
these lungs, which seemed complete, measured when dried 19 cms. in length, 44 cms. 
in breadth and 2 cms. in depth. 
Lungs were undoubtedly often dried flat and this was certainly the case with 
the organ depicted in Plate III. Here the root of the lung is plainly recognisable, al- 
though the main bronchi, pulmonary artery and vein cannot be separated. Some parts 
of this organ are riddled witli small black holes, which I take to have been caused 
by insects. 
What I have said about the difficulty of extracting the liver and the probability 
of organs being torn when removed, applies to the lungs though to a less degree. 
If the organ be stripped as much as possible of its bandages and placed for several 
days in the softening solution of formol and carbonate of soda, the whole can be made per- 
fectly soft. The time during which the solution must be allowed to act varies with each 
lung. The process therefore must be watched very carefully, as if kept too long in the 
fluid, the entire organ is spoilt. After a period varying from 2 days to a week or longer, 
the solution is decanted off and replaced by a 1 "/o formol solution. This is changed on 
several days and when all the colouring matter has dissolved out, the lung can remain 
for an indefinite length of time in a 5 ^/^ formol solution. In some cases I used 30 ^Iq and 
then 60 *'/o alcohol, but the results obtained were not encouraging. Very often it is clear 
that the embalmer only wrapped a small portion and sometimes not more than a third 
of the organ, and that the rest of the bundle consists of mud and vegetable matter. 
Evidently therefore the organ had been badly torn during removal. 
I have already alluded to tlie curious tendency possessed of these organs to pro- 
duce adipocere (?) and I need not describe its formation again. 
