The patient’s age is 3,000 and as for their medical history, that is literally shrouded in mystery. This is an Egyptian mummy having a CT scan to unlock the secrets of its civilisation.
Expert Dr Abeer Helmi says the latest X-ray techniques can provide clear three-dimensional pictures of the historical treasures inside the casks – without risking damage by opening them up.
Inside look: A mummy from the British Museum after being scanned at Manchester Royal Infirmary
The casket of one of the Egyptian mummies as it is just about to enter the scanner
One of the British Museum mummies being scanned by Manchester University PhD student Abeer Helmi at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Dr Helmi, of Manchester University, tested seven mummies from the British Museum.
One was a priestess buried with 11 gold amulets, a sign of high social status.
Another was a 12-year-old girl and the rest were adult men.
They were taken to the Manchester Royal Infirmary to be put under the scanner normally used for patients.
And the resulting pictures give a unique insight into health and behaviour around 900BC, a period when the Egyptians were using new preservation techniques.
Abeer Helmi, the student who persuaded curators at the British Museum in London to loan out the priceless artefacts for her research project.
A mummy from the British Museum being scanned by Manchester University PhD student Abeer Helmi at Manchester Royal Infirmary
Saving face: The ornamental painted exterior of one of the caskets scanned as part of the experiment
‘They had been mummifying bodies for thousands of years and refining it all the time,’ Dr Helmi said.
‘But they wanted these to be the best, and for them to look in death as close to how they looked in life by keeping the internal organs inside the body, in packages, and putting stones where the eyes were to make them look lifelike.
‘What they are buried with, and even the materials of the bandages and the case, tell us about their family, and what materials they had available at the time.’
Two of the seven were found to be anaemic and all but the youngest had serious dental problems, thought to be because the bread they ate was full of sand which eroded the tooth enamel.
A full body scan of one of the British Museum’s mummies
The scans also revealed the metal trinkets placed inside the caskets.
Very useful & informative.
Very useful & informative.