Natural mummification. Brown to black leathery appearance of the skin. Mummification is the product of desiccation, the drying-up process of soft tissue. Mummification may affect the entire body or only parts of it when only distinct portions of the body have been exposed to the proper environmental conditions. Natural mummification occurs in dry, usually hot climato-logical conditions. However, mummification also occurs in bodies located in frozen environments; mummified human bodies found in polar regions or in glaciers after hundreds of years are of special interest from the archeological and anthropological points of view.
Fig.1 Natural mummification. Brown to black leathery appearance of the skin.
During the process of mummification, soft tissue undergoes considerable shrinkage by losing body fluids via evaporation, resulting in considerable loss of body weight (up to 60–70%). The skin turns hard and has a brown to black leathery appearance, forming a thick shell over the body.
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