Paleopathology is defined as the study of the evidence of disease in ancient human and animal remains. Evidence of disease is based on historic records and the examination of skeletal material and mummies. The history of the field, and principles of anatomy, physiology and biochemistry are reviewed. Michael R. Zimmerman, MD, PhD is an anthropologist and retired pathologist. His research is in mummy paleopathology. He is Adjunct Professor of Biology at Villanova University, Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania and Visiting Professor in the UK at the University of Manchester’s KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology. His most recent publication is Cancer: A New Disease, an Old Disease, or Something in Between? 2010. R.A. David and M.R. Zimmerman. Nature Reviews Cancer, 10:728-733.