The
mummy known as Padihershef, originally a stone-cutter from Thebes (some
2500 years ago) has been a longtime resident at Boston's Massachusetts
General Hospital.
Padi (as he is
affectionately known) is a particularly special mummy for he is one of the
first Egyptian mummies brought to the United States. More important, he is
(according to Wolfe and Singerman) the first complete Egyptian mummy to be
exhibited in America. Soon after his arrival on April 26, 1823, he was
unwrapped and thoroughly examined at Massachusetts General Hospital. By
May 21, he was on
exhibit, first in Boston to thousands of people (adults were charged 25
cents, children paid about 12 cents). By October, Padi
was on tour, displayed in New York, Charleston (SC), Philadelphia, and
Baltimore. According to a Mass General spokesperson, Padi's tour earned
the hospital the equivalent of $1 million in today's money.
