- 32 — 
phere alone probably sufficed in some cases to preserve the organs indefinitely. Mr. Qui- 
bell writes: « Bodies in an extraordinarily good state of preservation, dried and very 
light, but v\^ith the skin complete and flesh dried in whisps (something like Bombay 
duck) have been found in archaic cemeteries by many people (myself among them), and 
as far as I know, there is no proof of a preservative having been used ». 
I have myself seen in the desert of Sinai the hind quarters of a camel in a perfect 
state of preservation, having been simply dried by the sun. The desiccation in this case 
must have taken place rapidly, as otherwise, the flesh would certainly have been eaten 
by the few leopards and the many hyenas and jackals which roam about the desert. 
What share these various processes had respectively in producing the desired 
result, we can only guess. Probably the most powerful factor in preventing decomposi- 
tion was ' the dryness of the climate. The tombs, where most of the bodies were dis- 
covered, are rock-hewn tombs and far above the level of the Nile flood. The heat during 
the day even in winter, is intense, and though the nights are often very cold, neverthe- 
less the chmate throughout the year is always dry, the rainfall being almost nil. It 
seems quite evident that incipient putrefaction would be arrested very soon for want 
of water. 
Desiccation alone, however, would not account for the good state of preservation 
of mummies removed to the hot steamy atmosphere of Lower Egypt. In such cases, 
the acid reaction and the packing of mud and sawdust would absorb all moisture, and 
prevent putrefaction. It must be remembered also that under certain circumstances, 
mummified organs undergo putrefaction. Thus, pieces of intestine removed to Alexan- 
dria, gave off a musty odour and when suspended in dilute alkalies, proved a good 
cultivating medium for bacteria. A dried head which I bought at Luxor and which was 
there quite sweet, became putrid in Lower Egypt. Mr. Quibell writes, «I have found 
a body of the Old Empire in a state of putrefaction and very unpleasant. The body 
had dried rapidly and been preserved for many centuries until the rise of the level of 
the country, or exposure to damp from showers after some denudation of the surface, 
had started the process of decay again ». 
On the other hand, human bodies, when once well dried, may be exposed to the 
atmosphere for considerable periods without putrefaction taking place. I have in my 
laboratory the body of a Roman child which had been simply dried in the sand. This 
has remained quite sweet ; the only change that has taken place in a period of more 
than a year is that the skin has become softer and somewhat soapy to the touch. The 
strange part of it is that no insects (ants etc.) have attacked it. The temperature of this 
laboratory varied between 56" and 100° F. ; for 4 months it seldom went below 75° F. 
and was generally above 80° F. In the summer the air was saturated with humidity. 
' The following remarks apply only to such mummies as have been studied in this paper and not 
to all Egyptian mummies. 
