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#0040
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Small pièces swell up quickly in the softening solution and the muscular and
mucous coats are then recognised even with the naked eye, though under the influence
of absolute alcohol ail differentiation disappears. Microscopical préparations are easily
obtained, and the various layers entering into the formation of the intestinal walls are
distinctly seen. Fîg. 1, Plate XI is an exact représentation under a low power of an
almost complète oblique section through the walls and part of the lumen of the
intestine. At «a» the annular muscular coat is depicted. The longitudinal coat. of
muscular fibres is well preserved also, but is not included in the picture so as to keep
the latter within reasonable limits. The sub-mucous tissue between «a» and the muscu-
laris mucosœ «b» is fairly well preserved, but in other sections it is altogether absent.
The muscularis mucosse « b » is always présent and the glandular layer when examined
under a low power looks like an open mesh-work. The lumen of the intestine is
shown bounded by a thin dark line, which doubtless represents the layer of columnar
epithelium.
The lumen of the intestine is always empty in microscopical sections, but on
macerating small pièces of intestine in dilute caustic potash and centrifugalising, one
finds in the centrifugalised residue, débris of partially digested muscular fibres and
vegetable cells. In one case I saw granules which gave ail the histological reactions
of starch.
Examination under a high power is instructive also. Plate XI, Fig. 3 shows part
of a section passing through the annular fibres. The longitudinal striation is présent ;
but in the process of drying, the fibres shrank greatly and most of them did not
expand again to their natural size in the softening solution. The resuit is that a kind
of reticulum has been formed, and owing to the déficient longitudinal expansion, the
fibres have remained somewhat angular.
Plate XI, Fig. 2 represents sections of part of the glandular layer of the intestines.
Generally the structure is typical, but here again, owing to déficient expansion, the
glands are peculiarly angular. I thought at first that the darkly staining strands round
the lumina of the tubes were composed of connective tissue only, but further examination
showed that they really consisted of dried epithelium cells, which had not expanded
again. They resemble somewhat the insufficiently swollen epithelium cells of some
mummified livers and kidneys.
Pre-dynastic I only obtained a very small pièce, about an inch, of the colon of a body of the
intestines. Hearst collection, in which I saw the transverse and longitudinal muscular fibres. The
muscularis mùcosae had apparently completely disappeared.
Roman child. On opening the body, the intestines were ail found lying in the abdominal cavity,
and looked exactly like brown tissue paper. They were removed bodily and when placed
in the formol and carbonate of soda solution they became again beautifully soft. After a
time, although slightly yellowish in colour, they looked almost normal. They were found
to be empty from end to end. Microscopically the peritoneal and muscular coats were
Small pièces swell up quickly in the softening solution and the muscular and
mucous coats are then recognised even with the naked eye, though under the influence
of absolute alcohol ail differentiation disappears. Microscopical préparations are easily
obtained, and the various layers entering into the formation of the intestinal walls are
distinctly seen. Fîg. 1, Plate XI is an exact représentation under a low power of an
almost complète oblique section through the walls and part of the lumen of the
intestine. At «a» the annular muscular coat is depicted. The longitudinal coat. of
muscular fibres is well preserved also, but is not included in the picture so as to keep
the latter within reasonable limits. The sub-mucous tissue between «a» and the muscu-
laris mucosœ «b» is fairly well preserved, but in other sections it is altogether absent.
The muscularis mucosse « b » is always présent and the glandular layer when examined
under a low power looks like an open mesh-work. The lumen of the intestine is
shown bounded by a thin dark line, which doubtless represents the layer of columnar
epithelium.
The lumen of the intestine is always empty in microscopical sections, but on
macerating small pièces of intestine in dilute caustic potash and centrifugalising, one
finds in the centrifugalised residue, débris of partially digested muscular fibres and
vegetable cells. In one case I saw granules which gave ail the histological reactions
of starch.
Examination under a high power is instructive also. Plate XI, Fig. 3 shows part
of a section passing through the annular fibres. The longitudinal striation is présent ;
but in the process of drying, the fibres shrank greatly and most of them did not
expand again to their natural size in the softening solution. The resuit is that a kind
of reticulum has been formed, and owing to the déficient longitudinal expansion, the
fibres have remained somewhat angular.
Plate XI, Fig. 2 represents sections of part of the glandular layer of the intestines.
Generally the structure is typical, but here again, owing to déficient expansion, the
glands are peculiarly angular. I thought at first that the darkly staining strands round
the lumina of the tubes were composed of connective tissue only, but further examination
showed that they really consisted of dried epithelium cells, which had not expanded
again. They resemble somewhat the insufficiently swollen epithelium cells of some
mummified livers and kidneys.
Pre-dynastic I only obtained a very small pièce, about an inch, of the colon of a body of the
intestines. Hearst collection, in which I saw the transverse and longitudinal muscular fibres. The
muscularis mùcosae had apparently completely disappeared.
Roman child. On opening the body, the intestines were ail found lying in the abdominal cavity,
and looked exactly like brown tissue paper. They were removed bodily and when placed
in the formol and carbonate of soda solution they became again beautifully soft. After a
time, although slightly yellowish in colour, they looked almost normal. They were found
to be empty from end to end. Microscopically the peritoneal and muscular coats were