Gaafar H, Abdel-Monem M H, Elsheikh S
ENT Department, Alexandria Medical School, Egypt.
Acta Otolaryngol. 1999 Mar;119(2):257-60. doi: 10.1080/00016489950181774.
In ancient Egypt mummifications were first carried out around 3000 BC. The visceral organs (lungs, stomach, liver and bowel) were removed from the body, cleansed, desiccated and placed in four canopic jars. The brain was removed from the body but was not preserved. Exactly how removal of the brain was accomplished is not clear. This study investigated the route of brain removal during mummification. Nasal endoscopy was carried out on 20 Pharaonic and Roman mummies. CT examination was performed on 2 mummy heads. In all mummies a communication between the cranial and nasal cavities was found passing through the posterior ethmoids and cribriform plates. The cranial cavity was empty. Our results demonstrate that brain removal during mummification was performed endonasally by trained personnel with a good knowledge of anatomy, using special instruments capable of creating a clean-cut endonasal craniotomy.
在古埃及，木乃伊制作最早可追溯到公元前3000年左右。内脏器官（肺、胃、肝脏和肠道）被从尸体中取出，清洗、干燥后放置在四个卡诺匹斯罐中。大脑被从尸体中取出但未被保存。大脑具体是如何取出的尚不清楚。本研究调查了木乃伊制作过程中大脑的取出路径。对20具法老和罗马时期的木乃伊进行了鼻内镜检查。对2个木乃伊头部进行了CT检查。在所有木乃伊中，均发现颅腔和鼻腔之间存在通过后筛窦和筛板的通道。颅腔内是空的。我们的研究结果表明，木乃伊制作过程中的大脑取出是由熟悉解剖学的训练有素的人员通过鼻内途径进行的，使用的是能够进行干净利落的鼻内开颅手术的特殊器械。
