An Autopsy 2,100 Years Postmortem
In 1972, archaeologists excavating a hill near Changsha, China, uncovered the Western Han dynasty tomb of Xin Zhui, the Marquise of Dai, who died around 168 BCE. The tomb itself was a structure, with its cypress plank construction layered in white clay and charcoal to control moisture. Xin Zhui was found inside the smallest of four nested and lacquered pine boxes, wrapped in 18 to 20 layers of silk and linen fabric. Her body was immersed in about 21 gallons of a mysterious, reddish, acidic fluid that contained salt and magnesium.
The state of preservation was so complete that on December 14, 1972, pathologists from the Hunan Provincial Medical Institute were able to conduct a full autopsy. Her skin was still moist and elastic, her joints could be moved, and her soft tissues were intact. Veins in her arm still contained congealed Type A blood. The examination revealed a woman about 50 years old who suffered from a range of ailments common to a sedentary, wealthy lifestyle. She had arteriosclerosis, coronary thrombosis, and gallstones, one of which lodged in her bile duct. The immediate cause of death was a massive heart attack. Her stomach contents showed her last meal, consumed just a few hours before she died, included melon. Pathologists counted 138 melon seeds in her digestive tract.