Studies of the
best preserved mummy in Switzerland
, from the 18th century and which was the daughter of a preacher in life, have determined that the woman died from an
atypical bacterial infection
similar to that which causes leprosy or tuberculosis.
a portrait of Anna Catharina Bischof.
The team of Italian scientists who have been investigating the mummified body of Anna Catharina Bischof since April have been able to determine that a microbacterium affected her brain tissue, causing her death.
Discovered in 1975 in the Barfüsserkirche church in Basel, this 18th century mummy was able to be preserved thanks to an
extraordinary presence of mercury
in its body.
The mysteries of the mummy
The doctors of the time used this element to treat
patients with syphilis.
Until now, investigations into the Basel mummy
had determined that this disease
had been the cause of Bischof's death.
One of the mummy's hands in a perfect state of preservation thanks to the extraordinary presence of mercury in its body.
However, new findings published in the journal
BMC Biology
confirm that although the woman most certainly suffered from syphilis and was treated with mercury, this was not the cause of her death.
The clothes in which the woman was dressed at the time of death.
What is clear is that the exceptional degree of preservation of the body has allowed the Bischof family tree to be traced, which includes, among other descendants, the former British Prime Minister
Boris Johnson.
However, the mysteries surrounding the Basel mummy remain many, from the
strange position of its arms
in which it was buried to the identity of the skeletons found in coffins around it.
EFE Agency.
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