Ferdinand Ist of Aragon was king of Naples and an important figure in the Italian Renaissance. He died in 1494 at the age of 63 and his preserved mummy was recently exhumed in the Basilica of S. Domenico Maggiore in Naples. During the autopsy part of a hollow organ came to light which was labelled probable rectum. After re-hydration and cutting, the specimen appeared a dark brown colour with numerous whitish areas of varying diameter (0.5-3mm). Immuno histological studies together with electron microscope analysis clearly demonstrate that.