Tooth Decay Killed the Mummy
Pa-Ib, 4,000 year old mummy at Barnum Museum
There is a new, and very good reason to get kids to brush their teeth. Bad teeth will kill you. Just ask the scientists who have been working on Barnum's Mummy!
Scientists on Thursday revealed another detail about the 4,000 year old mummy, Pa-lb, which is pronounced paw eeeb. On Wednesday, doctors from the University of Connecticut Dental School examined the mummy's ancient teeth and found that extreme periodontal disease is what probably killed her.
The mummy is from the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport. After a thorough exam by experts, including thousands of new X-ray scans, scientists are unveiling some of the fascinating mysteries behind this mummy.
The mummy, Pa-lb, was X-rayed at Quinnipiac University's North Haven campus. Scientists reviewed more than 3,000 images. Scientists believe she died in her early 30s and that an infection from periodontal disease probably got into her blood stream.
It is extremely rare in the study of mummies to determine a cause of death.
"A Night at the Museum: Learn the Secrets of the 4,000 year old Egyptian Mummy Pa-lb" will be presented on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport.
For more information on the Thursday's program, click here.
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