Ancient DI

An interesting article from Live Science was posted on the DI message board today. An ancient mummy who had previously been mistaken for a female was recently discovered to have been very sick before he died in his 20s:

Researchers examined a 2,900-year-old mummy using X-rays, CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. They found that he suffered from Hand-Schuller-Christian’s disease, a very rare condition that left him with lesions in his skull and spine. A large hole on his frontal-parietal bone can be readily seen in this image. His brain appears to have been removed through his nose during the mummification process.

Scientists believe that he may also have had diabetes insipidus as a result of this disease.  Since DI is such a rare disease I'm always glad to see it highlighted in the news (or on TV as was the case in Season 3 of House way back in 2007).

Photo credit: Dr. Mislav Cavka