Florida Doctors Unravel 2,100-Year-Old Mummy's Mystery

It’s not every day that doctors get a chance to examine a 2,100-year-old mummy let alone have the opportunity to theorize about its cause of death.

But, that’s exactly what happened in South Florida recently when doctors from St. Mary’s Medical Center were given a chance to examine a female mummy that’s part of the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium’s Afterlife: Tombs and Treasures of Ancient Egypt display.

The hospital’s radiology team performed a battery of tests, including a CT scan, on the mummified remains and debunked some previous theories surrounding the girl’s death.

“The child mummy was actually between 2-3 years old and not between 4-8 as originally thought,” the museum wrote on its Facebook page. “She died from appendicitis and not tuberculosis.”

The previous theory surrounding her death stemmed from X-rays taken some 30 years ago, CBS news reported.

The new results were released Thursday.

The Afterlife exhibit includes a full-size replica of Thutmose III’s burial chamber and more than 200 authentic artifacts. The exhibit opened Oct. 11 and will remain at the West Palm Beach museum through April 18. Tickets are $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors 60 and older, $15.95 for children ages 3 to 12, and $8 for center members.

For more information, visit the center’s website.

Photo Credit: South Florida Science Center and Aquarium Facebook page