Paleoradiological Survey Through Virtopsy of the Natural Mummies from the Church of Sant’Anna in Modica, South-Eastern Sicily

Two natural well-preserved mummies were found in the Church of Sant’Anna in Modica, south-eastern Sicily. The bodies, dating back to 19th and 18th century, underwent external examination, digital radiology, and computed tomog-raphy scanning. The conservative survey to these mummies allowed to date them back, understanding the preservation mechanism and detecting significant diseases. Paleoradiological investigation allowed us to detect pulmonary tubercu-losis in both individuals, complicated by phthisis in one of them. Obesity, degenerative joint disease, gallstones, and phleboliths were also found in the other subject, along with possible traditional remedies to pain relief, and a iatrogenic pneumothorax. Further investigations are planned in order to better evaluate each single disease and related findings.