New Boy King Revelations...

Researchers Tackle Cause of King Tut's Death, Debate Presence of Male 'Breasts'


By Marrecca Fiore

Sociologists believe they finally know what killed Egyptian pharaoh, King Tutankhamun, better known as King Tut, and say it was a combination of malaria and bone abnormalities.

In a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Academy, researchers also sought to disprove the theory that the men in King Tut's family suffered from gynecomastia -- a condition characterized by the presence of female breast tissue in men, with or without the presence of milk.

It's long been theorized that Tut and other male royalty from his family suffered from both gynecomastia and Marfan syndrome, an elongated face and limbs, because they were often depicted as having “androgynous” or feminized appearances, as well as large breasts.

But the sociologists said they found little evidence that this was the case.

"It is unlikely that ... Tutankhamun ... actually displayed a significantly bizarre or feminine physique," the article said.

Tut became pharaoh at the age of 10 in 1333 B.C. and died at age 19. Zahi Hawass, Ph.D., of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Cairo, Egypt, and colleagues conducted a study to determine familial relationships among 11 royal mummies of the New Kingdom, and to search for pathological features attributable to inherited disorders, infectious diseases and blood relationship.

They also examined for evidence regarding Tut's death, with some scholars having hypothesized that it was attributable to an injury; septicemia (bloodstream infection) or fat embolism (release of fat into an artery) secondary to a femur fracture; murder by a blow to the back of the head; or poisoning.

Genetic testing for the malaria parasite revealed indications of malaria tropica in four mummies, including Tut's. Researchers also found evidence that suggests avascular bone necrosis or osteonecrosis, a condition in which the poor blood supply to the bone leads to weakening or destruction of an area of bone. The condition is associated with other disorders such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

Sociologists believe that the bone disease along with the malarial infection was the most likely cause of death in King Tut.

Tut also appeared to have a cleft palate, a club foot, and Kohler's disease -- which is characterized by poor blood circulation and may have been slowly destroying the bones of his left foot.

“Walking impairment and malarial disease sustained by Tutankhamun is supported by the discovery of canes and an afterlife pharmacy in his tomb,” the authors write in their study. They add that a sudden leg fracture, possibly from a fall, might have resulted in a life-threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred.



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