Autopsy and Forensic Study on a Rare Human Corpse Preserved Over Two Thousand Years: The Mawangdui Ancient Cadaver.

In 1972, an enormous tomb site was found in the eastern suburb of Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province, which led to the discovery of Mawangdui tomb No. 1, and soon thereafter tombs Nos. 2 and 3. These tombs were dated back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD) in Chinese history. Along with numerous precious historic relics unearthed as grave goods, a well-preserved female cadaver was the most unprecedented, which was considered as one of the world's greatest archeological discoveries in the 20th century. The cadaver was initially examined through autopsy and X-ray imaging, with biopsies from multiple body parts analyzed histologically at the light and electron microscopic levels. In this review, we summarize the major imaging and autopsy findings from the cadaver indicative of remarkable preservation of some histological, cellular, and molecular constituents of the body. A forensic assessment of antemortem illnesses and potential cause of death of the subject are also noted.

Reappraisal of the Mawangdui Han Tomb Cadaver Thirty Years After Its Unearthing.

The Mawangdui tomb No.1 cadaver, a female corpse from the Western Han Dynasty, was unearthed in 1972. Forensic examination at the time of discovery indicated fairly remarkable presence of bodily constituents at the anatomical, histological, and molecular levels. The cadaver was preserved in a formalin-based fixative afterward, and maintained in the Hunan Museum. To better protect this rare human corpse, a reappraisal of the status of preservation was carried out using noninvasive approaches, including X-ray radiography, gross anatomical examination, and histological, microbiological, and molecular analyses of sampled tissues. The cadaver remained essentially intact from a gross anatomical perspective, with radiography of the skeletal system and arterial contrast filling appeared comparable with the original documentation. The light microscopic features of the skin, cartilage, and skeletal muscle remained detectable, as were the stratified ultrastructure of the collagen and muscle fibers. The levels of nitrogen and amino acidic elements appeared elevated in the cadaver and liver preservation fixatives, with a higher calcium and phosphate concentration in the former. These findings suggest that there existed a certain degree of macromolecule degradation and bone decalcification in the cadaver, likely irrelevant to biological decomposition. The reappraisal also led to the implementation of stronger scientific measures to better protect the cadaver through a renovated Museum-University coadministrative management agreement.