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Forensic Case Study of a Naturally Mummified Brain From the Bushveld of South Africa

NCJ Number
214487
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 51 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2006 Pages: 498-503
Author(s)
Nikki Eklektos B.Sc.; Manisha R. Dayal M.Sc.; Paul R. Manger Ph.D.
Date Published
May 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the findings of the authors' study of a single case of a mummified human brain found in the savannah grasslands of Gauteng Province in South Africa.
Abstract
This case extends the geographic range (to sub-Saharan Africa) and climatic conditions (average annual rainfall of 720 mm, with summer temperatures averaging 25 degrees C) in which naturally mummified human brains have been found. The authors suggest that the specimen became preserved due to hot and dry conditions when death occurred, with a significant water concentration gradient that occurred between the brain and the environment. The examination of the skull and mummified brain indicated they were from a White male between the ages of 34 and 68 at death. There was no evidence of similar cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Also, the environment in which the specimen was found was unique; it was not buried and was neither in the arid desert conditions that could produce preservation through complete drying or in damp conditions that could produce preservation through the production of a fatty/waxy substance. Mummification of soft tissue can occur as soon as 2 weeks after death, but 12 weeks is more likely. In the current case, only the brain tissue was preserved, which implies that the conditions required for mummification might have occurred within the cranium. The specimen appears to have been seriously burned in a bush fire. Thus, it is possible that the interior of the skull became very hot, leading to rapid fluid loss from the brain. 4 figures, and 23 references