Autopsy of an Eskimo mummy revealed the cause of death, and chronic medical conditions during life of the individual. Generally, information on diseases of the past can be obtained from historical records, works of art, skeletal remains and mummies. The Aleuts practised deliberate mummification for a brief period. Bodies were dried in a volcanic vent; tribal leaders were first eviscerated and stuffed with grass. Autopsy of an Aleutian mummy that had been dried only, including microscopic examination of organs and bacteria found therein, showed it to be of a man aged 30 to 50 at death who died of lobar pneumonia; various other detailed conclusions were deduced. In Egypt, mummification occurred naturally in the sand; later it was done deliberately by natron desiccation, and later still embalming with bitumen was used. Many Egyptian mummies have been examined. Recent examination of two in the United States is described briefly, as is the selection of specimens from mummies at Dira Abu el-Naga (Egypt) for further study. Of particular interest are the incidence of arteriosclerosis and of middle ear disease and the levels of lead in teeth, among other things. -- AATA