The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-06-28
DISEASE IN MUMMIES.
ANCIENT wRAPPINgs CONTAIN
TUBERcULAR BAcILLI.
White Plague Said to Have Been Car
ried to Europe from Egypt with
First Corpses Trans
ported.


Chicago. - "Egyptology Versus
Health" was the title Of a monograph
received at the Tuberculosis institute
OF Chicago in recent afternoon, in
which II was alleged that the great
spread Of tuberculosis in Europe and
America in the last 100 years found
Its causation in the disinterment and
shipment broadcast over the land Of
the mummies which had reposed so
long In the tombs OF the Pharaohs.
The monograph was written by DR..
Rafaelle Sorgnac. one Of the lecturers
at the Sorbonne in Paris, who was
an interested visitor at the recent tu-
berculosis exhibit In the city.
That the disinterred mummies
started the spread Of the tuberculosis
germs in Egypt cannot be doubted" :"
says DR.. Sorgnae in his monograph.
"Champollion did much for the world
when he discovered the key to the
hieroglyphs. but loosened death on the
world when he caused the mummies to
be disentombed. There are more tu-
berculosis germs in the almost I'm
palpable dust around a mummy case
than In many cuspidors of efiuyia.
These germs live for thousands Of
years, as has easily been proven, and
the exhumation OF the bodies, even
the well-preserved ones, caused an epi-
demic OF consumption among the
lworkmen and scholars who frst ex-
humed the cases II is also we'll
known that the keepers OF the mummy
cases have been subject to the disease.
The start Of tuberculosis In France
In a serious sense may be traced to
the great importation OF mummies
and mummy cases at the time OF the
Napoleonic invasion Of Egypt and this
start gave the disease its nrst great
foothold In Europe, whence II has
spread all over the western world.
Dead bodies may not secrete the
germs. but dead bodies are undoubt-
edly a fayorite lodging place for the
tubercular bacilli.
The bacilli from the mummies are
undoubtedly Of great age and It has
been shown by experiments In Paris
that these aged bacilli are infinitely
more deally than those obtained from
the sputrm OF live persons who are
infected. There may or may not be a
poetic justice In the secretion OF bacilli
In mummy cases which attack those
who have desecrated the tomos OF the
dead. but the appearance Of the
bacilli cannot be made a subject for
discussion. II Is a solid fact. Mum.
my cases ard mummies are a more
deadly source OF the disease called
consumption than any other two fac
tors combined.
"The first mummies brought the
white plague 10 Europe and every
Egyptian corpse which Is unearthed
IS a pesthouse OF deadly germs even
after Il has been subjected 10 a sea
voyage and 20 fumigation. II Is al
most impossible 10 kin the bacilii
which are found In the mummy wrap
pings and the cases are nearly always
fun OF a dust which abounds in germs
which have been lying dormant for
ages"
Local physicians were Inclined "a
deride DIT. Sorgnaes theory that the
white plague Of modern times started
with the importation OF mummies. but
none would ga.nsay the fact that the
favorite haunt Of the bacillus was the
proximity OF the dead, no matter how
the bodies had been preserved.