Modern Mummies: The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century
For many, a mummy is an Egyptian pharaoh, wrapped in cloth, found thousands of years later in a pyramid by archaeologists. But mummies need not be ancient. Modern-day mummies can be found under glass in special tombs built in their honor, in private collections where they have come to rest after decades on the carnival circuit, in dissecting rooms of medical schools, and in the basements of funeral homes waiting for decades to be claimed by the next of kin.\ Stories about the famous (Vladimir...
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For many, a mummy is an Egyptian pharaoh, wrapped in cloth, found thousands of years later in a pyramid by archaeologists. But mummies need not be ancient. Modern-day mummies can be found under glass in special tombs built in their honor, in private collections where they have come to rest after decades on the carnival circuit, in dissecting rooms of medical schools, and in the basements of funeral homes waiting for decades to be claimed by the next of kin.Stories about the famous (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Ho Chi Mirth, Eva Peron) and the not-so-famous (Leslie Hansell wanted her body mummified to bask in the sun rather than being buried in the cold ground) mummies are told here in great detail. The book includes a comprehensive study of the successful prolonged preservation of the human body, and delves into the law and science of modern mummification. Booknews An illustrated history of how bodies have been mummified in the past 100 years, by the author of and . Examines methods such as ancient Egyptian techniques, contemporary taxidermy, and natural processes of mummification are also examined in detail. Stories about famous and not-so-famous mummies are told, from medical school cadavers to sideshow curiosities to the venerated remains of political and religious leaders. Includes extremely creepy b&w photos. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
AcknowledgmentsPreface1Introduction31What Has Been, May Be, Can Be, and Will Be Done: The History, Law, and Science of Modern Mummification52Lying in State: Icons, Idols, and Eccentrics273Occupational Hazards: Outlaws, Victims, and Local Folks594Learning About Life and Death: Teaching Aids, Test Subjects, and Teratology Specimens1035Buying Immortality: Emulations, Innovations, and Applications1336Accidents of Nature: Adventurers, Explorers, and a Spelunker1677Acts of Faith: Servants, Patriarchs, and Believers1958Mummy Miscellany: Eviction, Collection, and Neglect2179Conclusion247Bibliography253Index259
\ BooknewsAn illustrated history of how bodies have been mummified in the past 100 years, by the author of and . Examines methods such as ancient Egyptian techniques, contemporary taxidermy, and natural processes of mummification are also examined in detail. Stories about famous and not-so-famous mummies are told, from medical school cadavers to sideshow curiosities to the venerated remains of political and religious leaders. Includes extremely creepy b&w photos. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.\ \
