The Curse of the Mummy's Arteries

摘要

In the ancient tomb paintings of the Nile Valley, Egypt's nobility often appear lithe, beautiful, and healthy. But new research, the latest being a study presented this week at the American College of Cardiology's annual scientific session, paints a less wholesome picture of ancient Egyptian health. A team led by cardiologists Adel Allam of the Al Azhar Medical School in Cairo and Gregory Thomas of the University of California, Irvine, performed CT scans on 52 mummies. Of the 44 who still possessed identifiable cardiovascular tissue, 45% exhibited definite or probable atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. The average age of death was 40.