Mummies of the Pharaohs: Modern Medical Investigations

The mummy of Ramses II, a pharaoh who reigned for 67 years and knew Moses, was the first to take a trip outside Egypt when, in 1976, it was sent to Paris for study. French physician and Egyptologist Bucaille here describes the interesting, intricate mummification process, and X-ray and endoscopic examinations of Ramses conducted by a Franco-Egyptian team of medical and dental specialists. Close analysis of this mummy and others has revealed physical traumas in life and causes of death and, stresses Bucaille, countering criticism of the disturbance of pharaonic mummies, contributes to the history of disease and provides new insights into biblical chronology. Photos not seen by PW. (Dec.)