DOI issue:
Nr. 1
DOI article:Ruffer, Marc Amand: Histological studies on egyptian mummies
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11327#0037
- âS -
The livers of thèse children were in an almost perfect state of préservation, and Roman and
histologically, bile ducts, bloodvessels, cells and connective tissue were almost normal. &reefc children.
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 différent ways. Some- Lungs of the
times each lung when still pliable was folded, and the jackal-headed figure « Tuamautef» XXIst 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 adhésions, 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 évident. One of
thèse lungs, which seemed complète, 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 with 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 °/0 formol solution. This is changed on
several days and when ail the colouring matter lias dissolved out, the lung can remain
for an indefinite length of time in a 5 °/0 formol solution. In some cases I uscd 30 °/0 and
then 60 °/0 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 the curious tendency possessed of thèse organs to pro-
duce adipocere (?) and I need not describe its formation again.
The livers of thèse children were in an almost perfect state of préservation, and Roman and
histologically, bile ducts, bloodvessels, cells and connective tissue were almost normal. &reefc children.
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 différent ways. Some- Lungs of the
times each lung when still pliable was folded, and the jackal-headed figure « Tuamautef» XXIst 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 adhésions, 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 évident. One of
thèse lungs, which seemed complète, 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 with 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 °/0 formol solution. This is changed on
several days and when ail the colouring matter lias dissolved out, the lung can remain
for an indefinite length of time in a 5 °/0 formol solution. In some cases I uscd 30 °/0 and
then 60 °/0 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 the curious tendency possessed of thèse organs to pro-
duce adipocere (?) and I need not describe its formation again.