Mummy was a type of medicine prescribed in Europe over 500 years ago. Why did Europeans believe that consuming mummy was very beneficial for health?
The Curative Belief in Mummy
The belief that mummy could cure diseases led people for centuries to consume foods with terrible tastes.
Mummy is a product derived from embalmed bodies. This pharmaceutical was consumed for centuries, differentiated by the rich and the poor, and was available in pharmacies, created from the remains of mummies brought from Egyptian tombs back to Europe.
In the 12th century, pharmacists used prepared mummies for their healing properties in their world. Mummy was prescribed as medicine for the next 500 years.
In a world without antibiotics, doctors prescribed skulls, bones, and flesh to treat ailments such as headaches to reduce swelling or cure the plague.
Mummy was a type of prescribed medicine.
However, not everyone was convinced by this belief. Guy de la Fontaine, a royal physician, doubted that mummy was a useful medicine and witnessed fake mummies made from deceased farmers in Alexandria in 1564. He realized that people could be deceived. They were not always consuming genuine ancient mummies.
But the demand illustrated an important point: the continuous use of human remains in medicine could not be met by the supply of Egyptian mummies.
Pharmacists and herbalists were still distributing mummy medicine into the 18th century.
Mummy Medicine
Not all doctors believed that old, dry mummies were the best medicine. Some physicians believed that fresh flesh and blood possessed a vitality lacking in long-dead bodies.
There was a strong belief that mummy flesh was superior, even among the noblest of nobles. King Charles II of England used medicine made from human skulls after suffering from seizures, and until 1909, doctors commonly used human skulls to treat neurological disorders.
For the royal class and society, consuming mummy seemed an appropriate remedy for royalty, as doctors claimed that mummies were created from pharaohs.
Dinner, Drinks, and a Show
By the 19th century, mummies were no longer used for healing, but Victorians held “unwrapped parties”, where the mummies of Egyptians were unwrapped for entertainment during private parties.
Napoleon’s first expedition to Egypt in 1798 sparked European curiosity and allowed 19th-century tourists to bring entire mummies back to Europe.
Victorians hosted private parties dedicated to unwrapping the remains of ancient Egyptian mummies.
The original unwrapping events at least showed some signs of medical respect. In 1834, surgeon Thomas Pettigrew unwrapped a mummy at the Royal College of Surgeons. In his era, autopsies took place publicly and marked the beginning of another public medical event.
Before long, even the pretense of medical research faded away. Now, mummies were no longer medicine but a thrill.
The excitement of viewing dry bones and flesh as the wrappings were removed became a form of entertainment.
Modern Mummies
In 2016, Egyptologist John J. Johnston held the first public unwrapping of a mummy since 1908. Part art, part science, and part spectacle, Johnston recreated the experience of what it was like to attend a Victorian mummy unwrapping.
Today, the black market for antiquities—including mummies—is worth approximately 3 billion USD.
No serious archaeologist would unwrap a mummy, nor would any doctor recommend consuming mummies. Yet the allure of mummies remains strong. They continue to be sold, exploited, and remain commodities.
