PSU | Pacific
Southwestern University
Hank Millard PhD
Dept. Chair of Life
Sciences; Pathology
Dear Cynthia Drier
We met at
the historical symposium in San Francisco in 2013, but have only now found a
reason for a follow-up. I said it then and I’ll say It here again, your talk
was illuminating and though I know you were at the time looking into a TED
collaboration, I haven’t heard anything about that in nearly a year. However, I
may have a case you’re interested in for a few reasons, some of which I will
reveal now, but others I cannot yet confirm so would prefer to keep hidden.
About 3 months ago a lab report was misfiled by one of my grad students, though
something like that would usually be unfortunate, in this case it was very
opportune. This specific report was based on a highly composed body found in
the deep Brazilian jungle, about 700 miles from the eastern coast and just
south of the Mato Grosso. The body was deep in a cave often hidden by tidal
cycles, and was therefore little more than a salt razed pile, certainly not a
usable sample. There was however a sealed leather tube containing what appeared
to be letters, around ten of them. The report and letters were originally meant
of my college S. Winters, you may have met here at that symposium with me, she
spoke about early trade craft in the Americas; something that I’m sure falls
into your interests. The report seems mostly interested in the construction of
the leather parcel, along with the parchment and ink which have remained intact
over these past 800 years. At my request the reports were moved to my
department, and now we may be on the cusp of a historical and medical
discovery. My communication with you over the next few weeks will come as we
are able to restore and translate the documents. I will also periodically add
my own analysis in a letter or two over the ten week period because I’m sure
you’ll be interested in that aspect too.
-
H. Millard
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