美公司推木乃伊安葬 全球逾1500人預訂

These are the modern day mummies. Already, more than 1500 people across the world have contacted Summum, the world's only mummification company, to be mummified after they die.

美國薩門公司推出全新安葬方式：把屍體製成“現代木乃伊”。全球已經有1500多人聯繫這家獨一無二的木乃伊安葬公司，預訂死後的木乃伊安葬服務。

The company based in Salt Lake City, Utah have revealed that their clientele includes celebrities, from all over the world, including Britain, and added that they also cater torequests from pet owners.

該公司位於美國猶他州鹽湖城。該公司介紹稱客戶中有來自全球的名人，其中也包括英國。同時公司也爲寵物主人提供寵物木乃伊服務。

Dozens of pets, including everything from dogs and cats, to peacocks, finches and even rats have undergone the traditional Egyptian burial routine.

已有數十隻寵物，不僅包括貓狗，還有孔雀、雀鳥，甚至老鼠，都已經按照傳統的埃及木乃伊殉葬流程予以安葬。

The process takes 90 days. The organs are taken out and cleansed, then the body is hydrated for more than 70 days, submerged in a tank.

木乃伊製作過程需要90天。工作人員先把內臟掏出並清洗乾淨，然後把屍體放在水槽裏，用水合物藥液浸泡70天。

Then it is covered with lanolin and wax, followed by layers of cotton gauze and a fibre glass finish. The body is then encased in a steel or bronze casket.

然後，工作人員在屍體表面塗上羊毛脂和蠟，隨後用層層紗布裹好，並用玻璃纖維封好，最後放進鋼或銅製的棺材裏。

Ron Temu, who works at Summum's appropriately pyramid—shaped building as a counsellor for clients, said: "The chemicals we use are so permeable that if a drop was put on thehand, just seconds later it can be tasted in the mouth."

薩門公司的客戶諮詢朗•特穆說：“我們選用的藥液滲透性極強。如果滴一滴在手心，幾秒鐘後，嘴巴里就能嚐到味道。”薩門公司的辦公樓外形酷似一座金字塔。

"The olden day mummies look very dry and that's because it was believed the best way to preserve them for the afterlife was to completely dehydrate them. We do the opposite andbelieve that hydrating the body fully is the best way to preserve it."

“古代木乃伊看起來很乾燥，那是因爲當時人們認爲，徹底脫水是保存屍體的最好辦法。而我們採用相反的方式。我們認爲，讓屍體充分保溼才最好。”

"That's why the bodies will still look like the day they died — even thousands of years later."

“因此我們製作的現代木乃伊和剛去世時一模一樣，即使幾千年後也是。”

But the process isn't cheap. Cats cost £3,600 and dogs at £15,000. Human mummification costs approximately £40,000.

但製作木乃伊價格不菲。製作一隻貓木乃伊要花費3600英鎊，狗則要1.5萬英鎊。人類木乃伊大約需要4萬英鎊。

Summum have already mummified human beings but their progress has been checked after 18 months and then state law says that as they have been opened, they must be incinerated.

薩門公司已經成功製作了一些人類木乃伊。但這些木乃伊在做完18個月後被打開檢查。而根據猶他州法律規定，這些木乃伊在被打開後必須焚化。

But many are signed up to be mummified in the future — and the company says it has tremendous implications for cloning. It is feasible that DNA could be removed at a later dateby drilling into the casket.

已經有很多人與薩門公司簽約，要求在死後被製成木乃伊。該公司表示，這對克隆技術也有重大意義。將來可以在棺材上鑽孔從木乃伊裏提取DNA。

Mr Temu said: "Being able to take out DNA at a later date has real appeal for people. People like the idea of being able to clone themselves."

特穆說：“能在將來提取DNA對很多人來說非常有吸引力。人們希望將來自己也能被克隆。”

"We have a lot of people signed up to be mummified. They signed up in their 30's and 40's, and are now in their 50's and 60's, so we have a lot of work ahead of us."

“很多客戶已經簽約，有些人簽約時才三四十歲，現在已經五六十歲。所以我們還有很多工作要做。”