Endoscopic investigation of the internal organs of a 15th-century child mummy from Yangju, Korea

Abstract

Our previous reports on medieval mummies in Korea have provided information on their preservation status. Because invasive techniques cannot easily be applied when investigating such mummies, the need for non-invasive techniques incurring minimal damage has increased among researchers. Therefore, we wished to confirm whether endoscopy, which has been used in non-invasive and minimally invasive studies of mummies around the world, is an effective tool for study of Korean mummies as well. In conducting an endoscopic investigation on a 15th-century child mummy, we found that well-preserved internal organs remained within the thoracic, abdominal and cranial cavities. The internal organs - including the brain, spinal cord, lung, muscles, liver, heart, intestine, diaphragm and mesentery - were easily investigated by endoscopy. Even the stool of the mummy, which accidentally leaked into the abdominal cavity during an endoscopic biopsy, was clearly observed. In addition, unusual nodules were found on the surface of the intestines and liver. Our current study therefore showed that endoscopic observation could provide an invaluable tool for the palaeo-pathological study of Korean mummies. This technique will continue to be used in the study of medieval mummy cases in the future.

Fig. 1

(A) Fifteenth-century child mummy. (B) Endoscopic examination. (C) A hole (red arrow) was made in the substernal region for inserting the fibreoptic endoscope into the body cavity.

Fig. 2

Intestine observed by fibreoptic endoscopy. (A–C) When the endoscope was inserted into the abdominal cavity, the intestine could be identified. Because the intestine was severely dehydrated or shrunken, subsections of intestine could not be differentiated. (D) When we performed a biopsy on the intestine, stool-like material (red arrow) spilled out from the intestinal lumen.

Fig. 3

(A,B) Liver (Lv) and diaphragm (Di) observed by fibreoptic endoscopy. Unusual nodules were spread on the surface of the liver. The diaphragm (C) and mesenteries (D) did not exhibit such surface nodules. (E,F) Similar nodules were also observed on the serosal surface of the intestinal wall.

Fig. 4

Thoracic cavity observed by fibreoptic endoscopy. (A,B) Remants of the lung (Lu), ribs (asterisks) and intercostal muscles (ICM). (C,D) The heart remnant (Ht) was also found within the thoracic cavity, though the organ was markedly shrunken.

Fig. 5

Brain and spinal cord observed by fibreoptic endoscopy. (A) Within the skull, a shrunken brain remnant (Br) was observed with heavy calcification-like substances (asterisk) spread over its surface. (B) When the endoscope was inserted into the hole made by laminectomy of the vertebra, the spinal cord (Sp) was identified within the vertebral canal.

Fig. 6

Structure of a medieval tomb with lime–soil mixture, from the Chosun Dynasty, found in Hadong, Korea, in April 2006. The burial conditions associated with this case are representative of other medieval tombs, including those in which mummies have been found. (A) When the medieval tomb with lime–soil mixture (LSMB) was found, the coffin was found to be completely encapsulted by LSMB. The thickness of the LSMB is generally about 10 cm or more. (B) When the LSMB was broken open, the inner coffin (IC) and outer coffin (white circle) could be seen. (C) After the upper lid of the IC was removed, the buried mummy (asterisk), with various cultural remains including clothes or documents, was visible. (D) When the mummy and the cultural remains were moved, the basal plate (BP), on which holes (dotted yellow circles) representing the Great Dipper were punched, were exposed. (E) After the BP was removed, a charcoal layer (Ch) was visible. (F) Archaeological drawings (c) of the tomb seen from above. The red and blue dotted lines in (c) are virtual slice planes. The other drawings represent the coffin in (c) sectioned along the blue dotted line and seen horizontally (a); and sectioned along the red dotted line and seen horizontally (b). To show the structure of the basal side of the coffin more clearly, the part surrounded by the red rectangle in (a) is magnified (d). OC, outer coffin.