Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-10
Distinguished Experts Give
Definite Reasons for Dis
belief in Stories of the
Curse of Pharaoh"
BY THOMAS GRAIN
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal.)

Copyright, 1929
WASHINGTON, April 7.-"Why
didn't the curse of the Pharaohs
thunder down upon the European
quacks who used to administer frag-
ments of mummies as medicine, if
it caused the death of Lord Carnar-
Won, who, as far as we know. didn't
even touch a mummy"
The attitude of science toward the
cries of supernatural influence in
the demise of the Psychologist thus
is expressed by DR.. I. M. Cassano-
WITT, in charge of old world arch
aeology, national museum, Snlithson-
ian Institute.
Other distinguished experts Of the
institute join him in contendlng that
an infected insect bite brought about
the death of the excavator.
1.-THE bite of no Egyptian insect,
as far as / know, is VenomouS
enough in itself to cause death,
stated DR.. J. M. Aldrich, entomolo-
gist, land the idea that poisonous
bugs have propogated themselves
for thirty-three centuries in tomb
to guard mummy, is ludicrous."
'In our opinion, the ancients knew
little about poisons that we dom
know" says Edward V. Shannon,
recognized expert on the subject.
land we know that no organic poi
son, such as the venom Of the cobra,
would be effective SO long a time.
And as for inorganic poisons,
such as cyanide of potassium, grant
ed that he thrust his hand against
q shaft saturated in it, he would
not get enough to kill Had there
been an injection of sufficient guam
tity to cause death, he would not
have fingered so long, he would have
died quickly and violently"
All admitted that Carnarvon may
have been poisoned by an Egyptian
who hoped to stimulate revolu.
ton by the superstitious natives.
But that's out Of our line" they
declare, smiling. you're depart
ing from science now, and are in
the hectic field of romance"
The Pharaoll's Curse
That the Pharaohs, includink Tut
ankhamen, did visit a so-called curse
upon anyone who tempered with his
grave is considered likely by DR..
CasanowitZ. But who paid anv
heed to it? Prominent families of
ancient Egypt built elaborate tombs.
AS they died their bodies were kept
there. When the last of a family
was dead, the old priests themselves
used to clean out the whole tomb.
and start a new family cemetery
there" he asserts.
From time +0
the centuries these tombs have been
looted by the Egyptians, by the
Arabs and by Europeans. Some fiji
teen or twenty years ago, he says,
excaVators discovered other tonnbs
of the Pharaohs and sent MANY
mummies to Europe and America.
Did the leader of that party die?
Yes, many years later, a natural
death.
THE talk about poisoned mum
mics causing death is ridiculo1s .,
he said. 1T has not been nanv
centuries since European doctors
used mumnies in making what thew
called sure cures for various dread
diseases. There are no reports of
widespread deaths as a result.
And after ALL" he continued
AAO" w VIC hllOW OafudrVOn found
tomb at all? Did he even see a
mummy. Why, press agents get busy
with stories Of gold chariots and gold
beds, and jewels rare, and the flap
per- world went crazy. Frankly. it
may not be tomb. They may have
discovered an old storehouse.
Thus far, there is no value to
Archaeology in the excavations" he
concludes. "They have found moth
ing new, nothing to throw new light
on the habits, the customs, the his
tory OF the time. Now if they find
papyrus, telling even a small part
Oh the story Of that revolutionary
age similar to this age, in a way
historians will be delighted"
Death From Insect Bites
Insect bites, in themselves, do not
result fatally except in isolated
cases, says DR.. Aldrich.
The centipede has been known
to Kill. The average death laid to
bug bite should be laid to terror"
ne declares. "A nervous man bit
ten by supposedly venomous spid-
err may die. His emotnnalisn and
the effect Of the poison may stop
his heart. But the scientist who
knows, bitten by an insect, can 'Coue
| death away Certainly terror was
not a frailty Of the celebrated Car
| narvon, he believes.
Probably an insect bit him on
the cheek. Carnarvon's fingers were
covered with germ-iaden dirt. He
scratched the wound. 1t became in
fected. The infection spread to his
nose and throat. This so weakened