Modern mummies: the preservation of the human body in the twentieth century

Christine Quigley

McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub, 1998 - Science - 263 pages

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 Minh, 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, along with a broader look at the history and process of mummification. 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.

What people are saying

Review: Modern Mummies: The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century

User Review  - Loren - Goodreads

The subtitle is closer to the subject of this book that the slightly misleading title. Quigley's definition of mummies is not limited to fleshly corpses but to any human remains. For instance, I ...

Review: Modern Mummies: The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century

User Review  - Iris - Goodreads

An excellent resource and guide, but much of the information is very outdated. I plan to check out the latest (paperback) edition to see if crucial updates have been made-- maybe start with that edition.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Modern mummies: the preservation of the human body in the twentieth century
• Author: Christine Quigley
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub, 1998
• ISBN: 0786404922, 9780786404926
• Length: 263 pages
• Subjects: Science / General; Social Science / Customs & Traditions