The Use of Mercury against Pediculosis in the Renaissance: The Case of Ferdinand II of Aragon, King of Naples, 1467–96

Fornaciari, Gino; Marinozzi, Silvia; Gazzaniga, Valentina; Giuffra, Valentina; Picchi, Malayka Samantha; Giusiani, Mario; Masetti, M.

doi:10.1017/s0025727300006074

Cited by 21 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…Unpublished Hg data from medieval burials in the cloister walk of Convento di S. Francesco a Folloni at Montella near Avellino in southern Italy show even lower background levels in bone tissue, with a typical range of 0.01–0.02 μg g −1 . Consequently, we would like to dispute some of the conclusions of Fornaciari et al . (2011) who, in analyses of the remains of Ferdinand II of Aragon, found Hg levels ranging from 827 ppm in hair to 18, 7 and 10 ppm in other samples and concluded that only the hair sample was abnormally high in Hg; contrary to their conclusions we suggest that all four samples from Ferdinand II are abnormally high in Hg.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

On the Embalmment of S. Francesco Caracciolo

Rasmussen¹,

Torino²,

Glastrup³

et al. 2012

Archaeometry

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The Italian saint Francesco Caracciolo died in June 1608 and his body was transported from Agnone in the Abruzzo region to the city of Naples, where he was interred. According to written sources, his body was embalmed, but the embalmment method is unknown. In the present work, four samples of the remains of S. Caracciolo have been analysed for traces of embalmment. No organic compounds usually used for embalmment were found using GC with MS detection. Only low background levels of As were measured using CV-AAS (Cold Vapour Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy). In two samples analysed by CV-AAS, however, very high concentrations of Hg (12.7 mg g -1 and 4.9 mg g -1 ) were measured, these being 100 to 1000 times more than the background Hg levels found in bone tissue of other medieval and Renaissance individuals. Two interpretations seem viable: (1) the high Hg levels are caused by embalmment using Hg-containing compounds; (2) the excess Hg originates from a medical treatment that S. Caracciolo received in his youth, when he was cured of leprosy, or in connection with his illness just prior to his death. The case of excess Hg in the remains of S. Caracciolo has distinct parallels with those of other Renaissance burials.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

On the Embalmment of S. Francesco Caracciolo

Rasmussen¹,

Torino²,

Glastrup³

et al. 2012

Archaeometry

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“…High Hg concentrations have been reported in, for example, Ferdinand II of Aragon, King of Naples (Fornaciari et al 2011); in several of the noble and ordinary inhabitants of medieval Moscow (Alexandrovskaya and Panova 2003;Alexandrovskaya and Alexandrovskiy 2005); and in Agnes Sorel from France (Charlier 2006). It is therefore likely that the exterior parts of the remains of Tycho Brahe-the bone, teeth and hair surfaces-could have been contaminated by Hg originating from the textiles either in the grave, during excavation or during curatorial handling.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such embalmment procedures utilizing Hg have been seen elsewhere in medieval and Renaissance Europe. High Hg concentrations have been reported in, for example, Ferdinand II of Aragon, King of Naples (Fornaciari et al 2011); in several of the noble and ordinary inhabitants of medieval Moscow (Alexandrovskaya and Panova 2003;Alexandrovskaya and Alexandrovskiy 2005); and in Agnes Sorel from France (Charlier 2006). One potential caveat is that Hg may have been used in medicinal form prior to death, as has indeed been shown to be the case for S. Francesco Caracciolo, interred in S. Gennaro's chapel in Naples, where a sample of compact bone tissue from the tibia showed an elevated Hg concentration (Rasmussen et al 2012).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Was He Murdered Or Was He Not?—Part I: Analyses of Mercury in the Remains of Tycho Brahe

et al. 2012

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World-renowned Renaissance astronomer Tycho Brahe died on 24 October 1601, after 11 days of illness. Several conspiracy theories regarding his death have been aired, the first shortly after his death by William Shakespeare in the play Hamlet, published in 1603. A key factor in the still lively debate is whether he was administered mercury-as medicine by his own hand, or as poison by an unfriendly hand. In 2010, Brahe's grave was reopened and samples of his bones, hair, teeth and the textiles were procured and analysed. Here, we present evidence that Brahe was not administered lethal doses of mercury.

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“…Mercury was used for medical treatments already in the early medieval times [19,[52][53][54], but it got more and more popular during the late medieval times as a cure against syphilis. Mercury poisoning almost never leads to pathological bone lesions [55] and the use of Hg cannot therefore be diagnosed by looking at the bones.…”

Section: Mercurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Convento di San Francesco a Folloni: the function of a Medieval Franciscan Friary seen through the burials

et al. 2015

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Background:The Franciscan Friary in Montella near Avellino in Southern Italy is of special interest because according to historical sources it was founded by St. Francis himself in AD 1221-1222. Human remains of several hundred individuals interred in the cloister walk have been unearthed during two excavation campaigns conducted in 2007-2008 and 2010. The environs of the friary have remained rural since the foundation preventing much modern contamination. The state of preservation of the skeletons is fair to good making a suite of analyses worthwhile. Results:The skeletons have been examined anthropologically and tissue samples have been subjected to radiocarbon dating, stable isotope measurements and trace element analyses by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Cold Vapour Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Conclusions:The radiocarbon dates are consistent with the historical sources and show that the cemetery in the cloister walk has been in uninterrupted use from the foundation of the friary in AD 1221-1222 and until the cemetery went out of use in AD 1524. The anthropological investigations show that the individuals interred at the friary would have been shorter than other Italians from the same time, and it seems that tuberculosis was more prevalent than leprosy. Isotopic measurements show a mixed agricultural and pastoral diet and none of the individuals were consuming marine protein. Based on the trace element analysis it seems that the people resided mainly at two distinct geographical areas, one of which was Montella. One individual stands out from the rest, because he was born and raised at some third geographical location distinct from Montella and because he sports the second oldest radiocarbon date of AD 1050-1249 (two sigma calibrated range). This date is consistent with the first generation of the founders of the friary-perhaps one of St. Francis' fellow travellers from Assisi.

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The Use of Mercury against Pediculosis in the Renaissance: The Case of Ferdinand II of Aragon, King of Naples, 1467–96

Cited by 21 publications

References 1 publication

On the Embalmment of S. Francesco Caracciolo

On the Embalmment of S. Francesco Caracciolo

Was He Murdered Or Was He Not?—Part I: Analyses of Mercury in the Remains of Tycho Brahe

Convento di San Francesco a Folloni: the function of a Medieval Franciscan Friary seen through the burials

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