Scientists to exhume 1919 body who had world's deadliest viruses

March 17, 2007

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Scientists to exhume 1919 body

Scientists plan to exhume the body of an aristocrat who died nearly 90 years ago from one of the world's deadliest viruses.

Landowner and politician Sir Mark Sykes died in France in 1919 of the Spanish Flu.

Professor John Oxford, one of the world's top virologists, believes he was buried in a lead coffin which could have preserved the virus.

Historical researchers from the BBC's Inside Out programme tracked down contemporary records of his funeral at Sledmere Church, East Yorkshire.

The Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Health and Safety Executive still have to vet plans for the exhumation, which has been authorised by a church court.

Sir Mark's grandchildren also had to give their permission for an exhumation to take place.

Christopher Simon Sykes, an author, said: "We all agreed it is a very good thing and it should go ahead. It's rather fascinating that maybe even as a corpse he may be helping others as it were."

Experts believe Sir Mark's remains will help them piece together the DNA of the final stages of the pandemic flu - which could help prevent a modern pandemic.

Sir Mark was working for the Government in the Middle East in the weeks before his death. He sailed home from Syria via London, where it's thought he contracted the virus and died in a Parisian hotel a few days later.

He had been tipped as a future Prime Minister and helped draw the national boundaries of the Middle East that still exist today.