Translation (by Alastair D. Pannell and the author) of the French 1987 edition of <i>Les Momies des Pharaons et la médecine. Ramsès II à Paris, le Pharaon et Moïse</i>. When Egyptian authorities allowed the remains of Ramses II to be released and sent to Paris in 1976, it not only marked the first time that a pharaonic mummy had left Egypt, but was the beginning of a new era in the further understanding of ancient Egypt, mummification, and archaeology. A whole new body of knowledge was gained from further scientific studies of other mummies in the Cairo Museum. With the assistance of medical and dental experts, the author explores the embalming methods that left the pharaohs so well preserved. A serious controversy about the effects of gamma irradiation on the Plexiglas® display case is discussed at length. The appendixes of the French edition are worked into the main body of the book, and two chapters are added in this later English version: 1) a survey carried out nine years later; and 2) possible resolutions offered by the Getty Conservation Institute. -- AATA