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Materials and Methods

Medical anthropological studies were begun in 1971 at the Regional Museum of Ica in Ica, Peru, and in 1975 at the University of Chile and the University of the North in Chile. All material was excavated scientifically by archeologists of the respective countries, and representative samples of mummies were dated by carbon-14 and by archeological associations.

The mummies were radiographed and autopsied. Samples of organs were rehydrated in Ruffer's solution, paraffin blocked, and stained (Allison and Gerszten 1977). The common stains used were Ziehl-Neelsen, Masson's trichrome, toluidine blue O, Movat, and Giemsa. All tissues. were studied unstained under polarized light and with phase microscopy, as well as stained using normal light microscopy.