"Ötzi, the 5,000-something-year-old man found frozen in the Alps, did not have an easy go of it. He was probably murdered, shot from behind with an arrow that missed his vital organs and led to heavy bleeding and a prolonged and painful death. Days before his death, he fought another person in hand-to-hand combat and gashed his right hand. The more scientists have been able to study his body, the more ailments they have unveiled."
"Ötzi was born without a 12th pair of ribs, and the ones he was born with were broken. He had feasted on the fat of an alpine ibex the day of his murder-a rare win for the iceman-but his intestines teemed with Helicobacter pylori bacteria, which can cause ulcers. In fact, Ötzi had carried this bacteria long enough that he probably had gastritis or an ulcer or two. (And unfortunately one scientist who has tried alpine ibex described the taste of its fat as " horrible.")"
Ötzi sustained a fatal arrow wound from behind after earlier engaging in hand-to-hand combat that left a gash on his right hand. He was born missing a 12th pair of ribs and had broken ribs. He had eaten alpine ibex fat the day he died and carried Helicobacter pylori, likely causing gastritis or ulcers. He ingested bracken possibly to treat whipworm parasites, and his colon contained whipworm eggs. His lungs were blackened by smoke; his clothing harbored fleas. He was lactose intolerant, had nail grooves from stress, gum disease, cavities, and predispositions to baldness, diabetes, obesity, and Lyme disease. Archaeological study continues to reveal additional ailments from ancient remains, offering medical and historical insight while subjecting bodies to prolonged examination.
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