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Ankle/leg photo
>> The highlighted text reads as follows:
Furthermore, a possible case of poliomyelitis has been
recorded in the mummy of the pharaoh Siptah. Polio is a viral
infection of the central nervous system which manifests itself
in the paralysis of one or more muscle groups. Siptah has one
short and withered leg. The same symptoms, however, can result
from certain types of cerebral palsy.
>> The caption says:
98,99 The deformed left leg of the Nineteenth Dynasty king,
Siptah, has been variously attributed to a club foot, polio
and cerebral palsy.
"King Siptah was a Pharaoh who reigned at a somewhat later age,
during the start of the 12th Century BC (19th Dynasty). Siptah
was born in Egypt and his mother was Queen Twosre, widow of
Amenmesse. When he was a boy, he was struck with a terrible
disease. When he recovered he was left with a withered left leg
and foot was rigidly extended like a horse’s hoof. Searching
on the Internet on Siptah produced some very interesting
information, although sometimes the dates differ. However,
it appears that he reigned for only six years, dying at about
18, that his mother was co-regent and after his death became
Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt. King Siptah was buried in
the Valley of the Kings and his tomb remained undisturbed until
1905 when the tomb was excavated."
Lincolnshire Post-Polio Information Newsletter, Vol. 3, Issue 8, December 2001. [Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network http://www.lincolnshirepostpolio.org]
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