An Approprate Ornament of the Operating Room

As recorded by N.I. Bowditch, in his A History of the Massachusetts General Hospital to August 5, 1851. Second Edition with Continuations to 1872 (Boston, 1872), until the mummy and its decorated cases could be readied for exhibition, it would be temporarily placed in the Ether Dome as “an appropriate ornament of  the operating room of the hospital.”

According to the Trustee’s records of 18 May 1823:

“The committee reported that they have committed the thanks of the Board to Messrs. Tilden & Edes & to Jacob Van Lennep & Co. The committee to make arrangements for exhibition of the mummy reported that preparations are in forwardness.”

Dr. Warren, acting on behalf of the hospital, contracted with Henry Williams, a Boston engraver, to prepare the mummy ($15.00), make a drawing of the sarcophagus ($30.00) and to make a glass case for holding the mummy ($8.00).

Shortly thereafter, Padihershef  was placed on public exhibition at Mr. Doggett’s Repository of the Arts, on Market Street in Boston. The Boston newspapers Columbian Centinel of 7 May and Christian Register of 9 May 1823 ran the following notice:

“The mummy—a rare and excellent specimen of mummy has been sent to this city, as a present from the house of Van Lennep & Co. of Smyrna. It is from Thebes; is now at the medical college, and will be in exhibition for the benefit of the Dispensary, and the general hospital.”

According to the "Massachusetts General Hospital Archives and Special Collections. Boston.  Miscellaneous file of bills and receipts pertaining to Padihershef," the Boston publisher, Nathan Hale (NOT the "give me liberty or death guy"), was paid $1.87 ½  for advertising the mummy exhibition, and $1.00 for printing a dozen handbills of the same. The firm of Phelps & Farnham in Boston was paid  $1.25 to print one hundred tickets of admission.