People thought cannibalism was good for them. At a time when Europeans were obsessed with Egyptian mummies, the answer offers a glimpse into the zaniest parts of Europe's history.
The bandaged corpses of ancient Egyptians were the subject of fascination from the Middle Ages to the Victorians because of the belief that ground-up and tinctured human remains could cure a wide range of diseases.
People were driven to eat something that tasted awful because of their faith in mummies curing illness.
The product created from mummified bodies was used by the rich and poor for centuries and can be found in apothecaries.
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By the 12th century apothecaries used ground up mummies for their healing powers. For the next 500 years, mummies were prescribed.
Doctors prescribed ground up skulls, bones and flesh to treat headaches, swelling, and the plague in a world without antibiotics.
Guy de la Fontaine, a royal doctor, thought mummies made from dead peasants in Alexandria were fake. People could be tricked. They used to consume genuine ancient mummies.
There was a constant demand for dead bodies to be used in medicine and the supply of Egyptian mummies couldn't meet this.
In the 18th century, Apothecaries and herbalists continued to sell mummy medicines.
Old mummies made the best medicine.
Even the noblest of nobles were convinced by the fresh claim. After suffering a seizure, King Charles II of England took medication from human skulls.
Doctors claimed mumia was made from pharaohs and that eating mummies was a royally appropriate medicine. The royalty ate the royalty.
Victorians hosted "unwrapping parties" where Egyptian corpses would be unwrapped for entertainment at private parties.
Europeans were intrigued by Napoleon's first expedition into Egypt in 1798, and 19th century travellers were able to buy mummies off the street in Egypt.
Private parties were held by the Victorians to unwrap mummies.
Unwrapping events had a veneer of medical respectability. Thomas Pettigrew opened a mummy at the Royal College of Surgeons. When he was alive, autopsies and operations took place in public and this unwrapping was just another public medical event.
Medical research was lost soon. mummies were exciting by now The dinner host was rich enough to own an actual mummy.
Audiences were loud and appreciative when they saw dried flesh and bones as bandages came off.
The 20th century started with mummy unwrapping parties. The destruction of archaeological remains seemed to be regrettable.
The discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb led to a craze that shaped art Deco design in everything from the motifs of doors in the Chrysler Building to the shape of clock designs by Cartier. The mummy's curse was blamed for the sudden death of Lord Carnarvon, the sponsor of the Tutankhamen expedition.
The first public unwrapping of a mummy in more than 100 years took place in 2016 at John J. Johnston's house. A recreation of what it was like to be present at a Victorian unwrapping was created by the artist.
It was tasteless with everything from the Bangles' Walk Like an Egyptian playing on a loud speaker to the attendees having straight gin.
The actor wrapped in bandages was the only person at the event. The fact that it took place at St Bart's Hospital in London was a modern reminder that mummies are more than just bones.
The black market of antiquity is worth about three billion dollars today.
A physician wouldn't recommend eating a mummy. The mummy is still attractive. They are still a commodity.
The conversation published this article. The original version can be seen here.
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