Conservation around the Millennium (Hungarian National Museum, 2001)
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wiping off the dust, the mechanic removal of impurities coming from the coffin and the disinfection of the surface. The latter one followed the mechanic cleaning and meant the wiping of the surface of the object with disinfectants. Sometimes instead of wiping, a piece of cotton-wool soaked with disinfectant was placed into the shoe, then it was wrapped.15 This was only a temporary treatment. Disinfection had to be repeated during restoration, so that no impurities that could develop mould would remain in the insoles and between the surviving seams, since mould can revive amid favourable conditions and spoil the object. DISINFECTION Up to now, we had only theoretical knowledge and we did not have enough practice to tell to what degree and actually how the primary cleaning and disinfection of the finds recovered from the many graves should be accomplished. The alcoholic Thymol solution that had generally been used earlier did not always prove to be the most appropriate.16 Another material called Sterogenol is regrettably no more available in pharmacies.17 Preventol CMK is equally difficult to obtain.18 Due to the great number of finds were had to find a chemical that was sufficiently effective against mould infections without threatening our health. Although microbiological investigations carried out in the course of the clearing of the crypt did not demonstrate of poisonous fungus spores,19 we found it necessary to repeat disinfection. Since investigations were made on random samples we decided, for the sake of security, to disinfect each find parallelly to cleaning. Precaution is really important, since mould fungi are lurking threats to health. It is well known that poisonous fungus spores, still active after 500 years, were demonstrated in the grave of King Kazimierz of Jagelló unearthed in Cracow in 1973 (Aspergillus flavus, Penicillum rubrum, Penicillum rugulosum). French researchers demonstrated living fungus spores of Aspergillus flavus in the mummy of Ramses II in 1976, 54 years after it had been discovered.20 4a-b. Detail of the shoe from coffin no. 73 before and after restoration 100
