The Washington bee., 1895-09-28
DISSECTING A MUMMY.
The Surgeon Worked Hard, But Had to
Give Tp the Job.

The Surgeon Worked Hard, But Had t
Give Up the job.
When Rev. DR.. John F. Goucher, @
the Woman's College, was in Egyp
last winter he secured a number o
relics in the way of antiquities tha
have reached this city in several ship
! ments Among the most valued of thes
are two mummies that DR.. Goucher Sc
cured in Cairo at the National Museum
which is in charge of Brysch Bey, who
mas manifested great interest in Am
erlcan institutions of learning. Wher
ne learned that DR.. Goucher was in
search OF Egyptian antiquities, he
heipeo hlm materially in securing lot
OF valuable relics. that are now all
stored in the Woman's College 1t has
peen Dr. Goucher's intention for some
tlhle TO make an anatomical examina-
tloh OF the mummies. and recently he
Hiaoe the attempt, but it was not a pro-
hounced success. Both of the mummies
ale oodles OF women. The larger of the
TWO Is of the Ptolemaic period, or, In
other words. the woman lived in Egypt
aoout 1000 years ago. The other is ap-
parently that of a girl, and from the
4
it is presumed she was of royal blood.
SO says DR.. Goucher. There is no in
| scr1pt1on on the outside to mark the
periou OF her life, but from the manner
In which the outside wrappings are
piaced, 1t is very evident that the
! mummy is of the twenty-first dynas-
". Dr. Goucher was very fortunate
| IN securing this mummy, as all of a
IKE character are carefully preserved
| by the National Museum Brysch Bey,
however, succeeded in getting this val
ueble trophy for the doctor.
1t was the larger mummy that DR..
Goucher attempted to open and exam
lne. 1t was in the wooden case that
held the mummy when it was taken
from the catacombs, and down the GEN.
ter OF il ran an inscription from the
Book of the Dead" that clearly indi-
Gated that the mummy was of the Ptol-
emaic period
"hen the mummy proper was lifted
from the case 1T did not look unlike I.
large sack covered with pitch. DR..
Goucher went to work on the outside
covering with pair of shears, but he
found his task a harder one than he
had contracted for. The pitch layer
was finally pierced, and then a cople of
newspaper men, one armed with a pair
of tin-cutting shears, and the other
with screwdriver and hammer, as
sisted the doctor in tearing away the
next covering. This covering was of
linen, and if the bands had not parted
from the ravages of twenty centuries
it would have come off in rolls. Most
Of the upper covering consisted of pads
Of linen that were placed in various po-
sitions to give shape to the body. which
is an evidence that the Egyptians were
as vain about the beauty of contour in
death as their American sisters are in
life. After these pads were removed.
more wrappingS were reached They
were wound with great uniformity.
and at one place they covered the
breast like a pair of suspenders crossed
on the back. Under this were broad
strips of linen running longitudinally.
All this was removed with compare
tive ease Finally layer of pitch was
reached that looked as If the embalmer
had poured a great quantity of it on
the body before commencing the pro-
cess of winding it up with linen The
substance was as hard as cement. and.
after working diligently on it for half
IN hour. tie doctor and his assistants
managed to expose the left elbow and
,lso to remove enough of the deposit
q show the contour of the right hand.
The arms were crossed over the breast.
The bone of the elbow glistened white
n comparison with the deposit that
overed the body, and If there was any
kin it had become hardened and was
'roken off with pitch. Around the
eek were a great number of linen ban
ages, and, although Dr. Go''oher cut
way a great portion. he only succeeded
n showing the contour of the head
yeither bone nor skin was reached
When the examination had reached
his point DR.. Goucher discovered the
act that he had but a few minutes
D catch a train for his home in Pixies
iIle so the examination was brought
, an abrupt end. DR.. Goucher has
ow gone away, and the examination
f the mummies will be indefinitely
American.