Histological examination of experimentally mummified tissues

Tissue mummified by desiccation can be examined histologically after rehydration with Ruffer's solution, and a number of natural mummies have been studied by this technique. In order to study the efficacy of the rehydration process, and to evaluate the degree of artefact introduced, normal human tissues were desiccated, rehydrated, and examined histologically. There was generally good preservation of architecture and moderate preservation of cellular detail, with some organ specific variability. The prospect of an atlas of mummified pathological lesions is discussed, as an aid to the determination of disease patterns in prehistoric populations.