During the Victorian era, Europeans had many strange beliefs and rituals. But the idea of grinding and eating Egyptian mummies to preserve their health was perhaps one of the strangest occurrences. The belief that human remains are beneficial for health remained popular from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, beginning with cannibalism. This belief, combined with the eerie interest of Victorians in after-dinner entertainment, led to the urge to eat mummies that tasted awful.
The product from mummified bodies was consumed by everyone, rich and poor, and sold in pharmacies. This product, a medicinal substance obtained from the remains of mummies brought from Egyptian tombs, has been referred to as the “mummy frenzy.”
Mummies began to be used by pharmacists in the 12th century by grinding them for their medicinal properties. Mummies were a popular prescription drug for the next 500 years. In a time when antibiotics were not available, doctors prescribed crushed skulls, bones, and flesh to treat a variety of ailments, such as headaches, reducing swelling, or curing the plague. Today, this practice is considered highly offensive behavior and its use as a medical treatment is strongly discouraged.
Bringing Ancient Egyptian Mummies to Europe
Mummies are known as one of the most mysterious features of Ancient Egypt. With various processes, the decomposition of dead bodies is prevented and it is ensured that they remain intact. Mummification was a very important practice for the Ancient Egyptian period and was often practiced especially for prominent figures of the period. Mummies have been found in many archaeological excavations until today and have provided important clues from that period. However, in Victorian Europe, people began to consume mummies as medicine, thinking that they would be good for their health.
By grinding and coloring Egyptian mummies, Europeans believed that this practice cured difficult diseases as well as headaches. This practice had become popular among Europeans from the Middle Ages and reached its zenith in the Victorian era. This interesting practice, which continued until the 19th century, was used for healing purposes at that time.
They grinded Egyptian mummies and gave the name “Mummy” to the product they obtained and started selling this product even in pharmacies for medicinal purposes. The grinding and coloring of mummies became very popular, being consumed by people of all social classes. Its popularity grew so much that people who made a living from Europe by going to Egypt and bringing mummies appeared.
Mummies began to be actively used by pharmacists from the 12th century and were consumed for 500 years in Europe with the belief that they were healing. This popularity led to illegal diggers selling Egyptian mummies on the streets. Instead of digging, some people sold the bodies of dead people in the villages as mummies. These fake mummies were discovered by the then royal doctor, Guy de la Fontaine, who was skeptical that mummies were a useful medicine. However, the use of mummies as medicine by Europeans could not be prevented.
The Effect of Fresh Meat and Blood in Treatments
In addition to the use of mummies as medicine for a long time, the doctors and medics of the period did not see mummies as a single source of healing. Especially in the 17th century, doctors who believed that fresh meat and blood also had a great potential in treatments, King of England II. He even convinced Charles of this idea and was allowed to use drugs made from human skulls. Over time, mummies began to be replaced by chemical drugs, and pharmacists continued to distribute herbs and mummy medicines until the 18th century. In the past, the best medicines were obtained from ancient mummies. However, some doctors believed that the long-dead bears no vitality compared to the fresh flesh and blood.
Claims that medicines made from fresh meat were beneficial convinced even the nobility. To treat neurological conditions, doctors continued to use human skulls frequently until 1909. Doctors who claimed that the mummy was made from pharaohs thought that for royalty and the elite, eating mummy seemed like a medicine fit for the nobility.
Mummy Shows at Private Parties
Napoleon’s first expedition to Egypt in 1798 aroused great interest in Europe. After this expedition, all mummies brought to Europe by travelers to Egypt in the 19th century were allowed to be sold on the street. However, from the 19th century, people were no longer using mummies to treat their illnesses. The Victorians held “mummy-opening parties” to open Egyptian corpses for enjoyment at private parties.
Previously, these mummification events carried a claim to medical prestige. In 1834, surgeon Thomas Pettigrew opened a mummy at the Royal College of Surgeons. At that time, this mummy opening was only a public medical procedure, as autopsies and surgeries were performed in public. But over time, even the medical research claim faded. Mummies had become exciting objects. A dinner host who was able to entertain the audience while opening the package were rich enough to own a real mummy. The excitement of seeing the dried-up flesh and bones with the removal of the bandages made people flock to unwind them, whether in a private home or in the theater of an educated society.
By the early 20th century, mummification parties were over. The frightening nature of such events and the inevitable damage to archaeological remains were regrettable. But Lord Carnarvon, the sponsor of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, died suddenly in 1923. Although his death was due to natural causes, he was soon connected to a superstition called the “mummy’s curse”.
