The exploration of the Medici tombs in Florence allowed us to study 20 individuals, currently skeletonized but originally almost all artificial mummies. Accurate examination of the skeletons revealed evident signs of autopsy and embalming, such as thin incisions of the external skull, horizontal and oblique craniotomies, longitudinal and transversal cuts of the sternum, and sectioning of the sternal extremities of the ribs. Study of these skeletons offers important information on the autopsy and embalming techniques of the 16th century court surgeons. Finally, the finding of an entire internal cast of the mummy of a 5-year-old child witnesses on the different types of plants and substances used to embalm the bodies in Florence during the Renaissance.
Autopsy and embalming of the Medici Grand Dukes of Florence (16th-18th centuries)
MARCHESINI, Marco;
2008
Abstract
The exploration of the Medici tombs in Florence allowed us to study 20 individuals, currently skeletonized but originally almost all artificial mummies. Accurate examination of the skeletons revealed evident signs of autopsy and embalming, such as thin incisions of the external skull, horizontal and oblique craniotomies, longitudinal and transversal cuts of the sternum, and sectioning of the sternal extremities of the ribs. Study of these skeletons offers important information on the autopsy and embalming techniques of the 16th century court surgeons. Finally, the finding of an entire internal cast of the mummy of a 5-year-old child witnesses on the different types of plants and substances used to embalm the bodies in Florence during the Renaissance.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
