In the never-ending pursuit of medical cures, healers have historically engaged in some bizarre and, by modern standards, often horrific and unethical activities. One of the most bizarre is the European practice of consuming the corpses of Egyptian mummies as medicine.
The origins of mummy medicine can be traced back to the 12th century when the quest for powerful remedies led European scholars and physicians to explore ancient texts and exotic substances. There is evidence that some European physicians believed that the preserved bodies of the ancient Egyptians contained mystical and medicinal properties. This was partly fueled by the belief that only miracles could have preserved mummies for thousands of years. Other scholars trace the origin to the misconception that mummies contained bitumen, a substance long associated with healing in the ancient world. As a result of this beliefs, mummies became a highly sought-after commodity.
By the 12th century, european traders began importing Egyptian mummies into Europe, where they were ground into powders and sold in apothecaries as a remedy for a wide range of ailments. This trade became so lucrative that entire industries were built around the excavation and exportation of mummies. It is estimated that between the 16th and 17th centuries, over 3 thousand pounds of mummies were shipped to Europe where they were ground up and sold to satisfy the increasing demand.
The powdered remains of mummies, known as “mumia,” were ingested by swallowing or rubbed into an injury. It was believed that mumia could treat various ailments such as coughs, epilepsy, stomach ulcers, and tuberculosis. Mumia was even used by royalty such as King Francis I of France and King Charles II of England to protect their health.
The demand for mumia was so high in Europe that the ancient tombs of Egypt and the deserts could not supply enough. This led to the development of a new business in the manufacture and sale of fake mummies, known as “mumia falsa.”
These “mumia falsa” were obtained from scraping the bodies of cadavers, as well as from “artificial mummy” made by collecting the dead bodies of executed criminals, slaves or exhumed dead bodies, drying them in the sun, and then grinding them up.
Mummy powder was consumed in several ways. It was mixed with water, wine, or other liquids to make a medicinal drink, or it was applied as a paste. Some recipes even called for combining mummy powder with herbs and other ingredients to create complex remedies.
Despite its widespread use, mummy medicine was not without controversy. Skeptics questioned the effectiveness and morality of consuming human remains. Also, ethical concerns began to emerge, as the trade in mummies often involved the desecration of ancient burial sites and the exploitation of indigenous peoples.
The practice of mummy medicine began to decline in the 18th century, as advancements in medical science and changes in cultural attitudes toward death and the dead made the consumption of human remains increasingly distasteful.
By the 19th century, the practice had all but disappeared. The growth of professional medical standards and the ethical considerations surrounding the treatment of human remains contributed to its decline. The fascination with mummies shifted from a medicinal interest to an archaeological and historical one, as the study of ancient Egypt developed into a respected academic field.
Sources:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354683646_Mummy_as_a_medicine_from_ancient_Egypt_to_Francis_I_King_of_France
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/mumia-the-strange-history-of-human-remains-as-medicine
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-gruesome-history-of-eating-corpses-as-medicine-82360284/
