Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
16 January 2010
15:0437912#1
During my stay up at Kings College hospital last year, I had plenty of reading material, and time to read it. Included was National Geographic magazine, which cover a wide variety of subjects with high quality pictures. Last February had an article on the Sicilian friars, who have mummified bodies for over 500 years, thus leaving (intentionally or otherwise), a unique record of the human body. The crypt has been attacked on occasions, with exhibit`s damaged. Problems at the moment are the enormous amount of visitors, who could have an effect on the air quality which helps preserve them. Local nuns say they should be decently buried, and returned to dust, and that there`s nothing spiritual to learn from this. Is that the only way they can look at it? What say you?
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Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
16 January 2010
15:0637913#2
Rows of preserved bodies.
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Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
16 January 2010
15:3537915#3
Extremely bizarre - the last image of the 2 year old is very sad and doesn't seem like it is nearly 100 years ago
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/02/sicily-crypts/musi-photographyBeen nice knowing you :)
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
16 January 2010
15:4037916#4
Thanks Paul,I was placing her on next. For the uninformed, the little girl died in 1920, and they got the local friars to preserve her. Little Rosalia Lombardo died of pneumonia. A recent x-ray shows her body organs to be perfectly preserved. I took the picture off here, as you can view it anyway on the internet, and as Howard said, it is a disturbing picture, even though I`ve viewed it a number of times when reading the article.
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Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
16 January 2010
16:4537921#5
I saw the word dead and knew this would be my kind of subject! I must admit I am fascinated by mummies and only last week was at the British Museum to see some long lost 'friends' there. Part of me thinks they should be buried but another part of me thinks that the knowledge we have learned from these mummies is invaluable. Actually I think that the mummy I photographed below looks very content where he is.
I have read about Rosalia Lombardo, she is known as an Incorruptible (a perfectly preserved body which appears not to have deteriorated in any way.) Some religions class these people as 'Saints'.
I like this site about the Capuchin Monk Mummies:
http://motomom.tripod.com/index-3.htmlGuest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
16 January 2010
17:0637923#6
Been waiting for you to come on Jeane to read your views. Your other material looks equally interesting. I`ll have a look at some more later. I did read that scientist`s have learnt a great deal from these bodies about past diets, gum disorder`s, arthritis etc, and with modern scanning machine`s, so much more to learn what previous examination`s didn`t show up. It`s like that Ice man some years back found in the Alps in Northern Italy, the phenomanal amount of information that came from that ancient hunter, though of course he was older and not deliberatly preserved. And the Egyptian mummies, priceless!
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Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
16 January 2010
17:5037925#7
You know me so well!!
Not quite mummies but similar i.e. skeletons. I visited the Wellcome Foundation last year to see an exhibition of 26 skeletons which had been buried within the City of London. The skeletons reflected London's varied social geography, from the affluent district of Chelsea to the Cross Bones cemetery in Southwark, believed to have been established originally as a graveyard for prostitutes! One of the most gruesome examples was the skeleton of a young woman who died around the beginning of the 19th century. She had such severe syphilis that her skull still bears the scars of where the disease entered her bones - ewwww! Another had her head and neck stained green by copper waste in the earth from the manufacture of coins at the Royal Mint, which later occupied the site above where she was buried. A couple of the skeletons dated back to Roman times, one guy was huge! I found it absolutely fascinating, alas they didn't permit photography.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
16 January 2010
18:4937932#8
i found the pics quite disturbing, especially the one with the little girl.
we know that the egyptians and other ancient cultures had their reaons for mummifying corpses, why would christian monks do it?
one can only presume that the toddler that died came from a poor family, did the parents have a say in her preservation?
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
16 January 2010
18:5737935#9
They are disturbing pictures in a way Howard, and when I was in hospital, I couldn`t help but look and read about them. I don`t know if morbid facination for some are the right words in this case. Apparently, her father was so full of grief, he requested a noted embalmer to preserve her.
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Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
16 January 2010
20:5137958#10
On a similar note I also find Victorian memento mori photos interesting. I am not going to post any on here as they can be unsettling, but if anyone is curious a web search will show various sites. The Victorians wanted to have a souvenir of their dear departed so a photographer was dispatched after Great Uncle Fred had passed on. Once he was suited and booted he would be sat in a chair or even left in his coffin for his photo. They are sometimes referred to as PM photos - post mortem, but in the literal sense as 'after death' not actual photos of a post mortem. Sometimes the photographer wasn't able to get there for a few days and Fred wouldn't be at his best so the eyes would be painted on to the photo afterwards (early Photoshop!) Infant mortality wasn't great in those times so many of the photos were of babies and young children, often depicted in their mothers arms or propped up between siblings. The photos were called cabinet photos and displayed in a prominent place on the sideboard.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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16 January 2010
22:5437975#11
Interesting stuff again Jeane, this forum is a mine of facinating subjects. On the subject of touching up photo`s, not sure if you`ve ever seen those photographs of Jack the Ripper`s victims on the internet, but I wonder if a couple of them have been touched up?
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Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
16 January 2010
23:0837977#12
Jack the Ripper is another one of my favourite subjects. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the photos hadn't been doctored. I did a psychic investigation into Walter Sickert one of the suspects a few years back as I lived in Camden Town an area he frequented.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
17 January 2010
00:0137978#13
I`ve been into many subjects Jeane, including religion, which have all come about with my main interests in life. I must confess though, that although I`ve heard of spiritualism and psychism, I`ve never come across either in any of my studies, as it were, and it`s a subject I`m way out of my depth on. I did find on the ripper site, Scotland Yard had placed all the evidence that`s ever existed regarding the murders, as there has been much speculation over the years who he actually was. It`s good to see that you`re continuing the investigation. I`ll have to look into your subject sometime, so much knowledge about, so little time to take it all in.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
17 January 2010
01:3537984#14
Forumites might be interested in the new series on Radio 4 which is kicking off tomorrow (17/1)with the Mummy of Hornedjitef as the first of A History of the World in 100 Objects (from the British Museum).
It looks like a cracker of a series.
Locally, I suppose most of us have been to St Leonard's church in Hythe which has an ossuary with over 2000 skulls in it including one with an example of trepanning? Well worth a visit for those with a macabre turn of mind.
As for Jack the Ripper, I believe that a number of his victims were what one might call euphemistically 'ladies of easy virtue'. In which case it is hardly surprising if some of them have been touched up.....
Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,037
17 January 2010
09:3237996#15
Colin I regularly get re-enthustasic about Jack the Ripper and will spend time browsing sites and reading etc. It's a subject that never really goes away.
That's interesting Bob thanks. Lol at the joke!
There is indeed a wealth of knowledge to be found on Doverforum.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
19 January 2010
14:5438254#16
I knew they did Jack the Ripper tours Jeane, and I`ve just checked it out on the internet. Apparently, there`s one every evening at 18.45, whatever the weather, from Tower Hill tube station, and it`s done by ex sergeant majors or marines, fully vetted by the police. I`m sure you`ll know all this, but thought I`d mention it for anyone on here who may fancy going. An unusual surprise night out for the wife maybe? Not costly, and no rip(per) off.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
