Images from MDCT scans helped researchers discover what they now believe is the cause of death for the famed Egyptian pharaoh King Tutankhamun, according to an article published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A research team led by Egypt archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Ph.D., conducted a series of anthropological, radiological, and genetic studies of King Tut and 10 other royal mummies from September 2007 to October 2009. The goal of the inquiry was to determine familial relationships among the mummies, and to learn more about possible illnesses the royal family may have suffered, as well as their possible causes of death.
All mummies except one received MDCT scans (Somatom Emotion 6, Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany) using a system installed on a truck. The CT scanner was used to examine Tutankhamun and two female mummies from tomb KV35 in Luxor, as well as the rest of the mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Radiological and other studies indicated that King Tut suffered from multiple disorders: "He might be envisioned as a young but frail king who needed canes to walk because of the bone-necrotic and sometimes painful Köhler disease II, plus oligodactyly (hypophalangism) in the right foot and clubfoot on the left."
The researchers also found signs of a sudden leg fracture, possibly induced by a fall, and they theorized that it could have developed into a life-threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred. They said that seeds, fruits, and leaves possibly used as medical treatment were found in the tomb, supporting this theory.
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