Medical Practitioners Once Used Egyptian Mummy Remains to Treat Ailments

In 1823, someone gifted an Egyptian mummy to a Harvard surgeon. The surgeon initially wondered if the mummy was real, or one of the counterfeits he had heard about. But after cutting into the top cloth, the well-preserved head assured him. The teeth were perfectly intact and the surgeon could tell the person’s hair had once been reddish-brown. Feeling like an intruder, the surgeon re-wrapped the mummy to let it rest in peace.