Report: Malaria, Not Murder, Killed Medicis

NY Newsday ^ | 3-9-2005 | Bryn Nelson

[blam]

Report: Malaria, not murder, killed Medicis

BY BRYN NELSON
STAFF WRITER

March 9, 2005

Two brothers in the Medici dynasty of Renaissance Italy likely were not the long-rumored victims of murder, a new analysis of their centuries-old bones has concluded.

Despite the tremendous wealth and power of the Florence-based family, one that produced popes and intellectuals, commissioned art by Michelangelo and protected Galileo from persecution, the two teenagers and their mother instead may have succumbed to a disease that killed without regard to fame or fortune: malaria.

"We found no signs of violence at all, none at all," said Long Island University archaeologist and mummy expert Bob Brier to a crowd of about 200 gathered for his public presentation Tuesday at the C.W. Post Campus in Brookville.

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[hflynn]

Wait a minute, it was a made man named Johnnie No Nose Malaria.

[ClearCase_guy]

The 16-year-old, Garcia, was rumored to have slain his 19-year-old brother, Giovanni, after an argument during a hunting trip in 1562. In a rage, Cosimo I then supposedly ran Garcia through with his sword, and Eleanora died less than a week later from a broken heart.

Is there an un-written rule that the skeleton must bear signs of any violent death?

Slain during a hunting trip? Did he sneak up and slit his brother's throat?
Run through with his sword? At about naval height? But perhaps off to the right a bit?

Edged weapons can easily kill without contacting bone. Sure, this new theory could be right, and the culprit may have been malaria. But examining the bones cannot offer any proof.

[expatpat]

Not very convincing. If they'd been Venice-based, perhaps, but in Florence? I thought poison was the preferred method in those times.

[lizma]

"Eleanora may have been literally the wealthiest woman in the world," Brier said, "but her teeth were terrible."

Lead poisoning? Lead interferes with calcium metabolism.

[SunkenCiv]

That does sound reasonable; one reason for Leonardo's plan to reroute the Arno river (the plan failed due to faulty bidding, leading to an idiot brother in law of some politician getting a crucial subcontract) was to drain swampland; the malaria problem wasn't solved until the 19th century if memory serves.

will ping the list when I get home or sometime tomorrow.

[chickenlips]

They found the mosquito's confession.

[blam]

"That does sound reasonable; one reason for Leonardo's plan to reroute the Arno river (the plan failed due to faulty bidding, leading to an idiot brother in law of some politician getting a crucial subcontract) was to drain swampland; the malaria problem wasn't solved until the 19th century if memory serves."

In a small hospital in Appalichacola, Florida, a doctor noticed that when relatives of malaria victims hung wet sheets around the bed, for cooling, the patients suffered less and in some cases appeared to get better. That doctor went home and invented modern refigeration and made the first man made ice.

[blam]

It was Yellow Fever not, malaria.

Dr John Gorrie

"Florida would not be what it is today without air conditioning. Dr. John Gorrie is considered the father of air conditioning and refrigeration. He was also a physician, scientist, inventor, and humanitarian. Gorrie represents Florida with his statue placed in the National Statuary Hall in Washington D. C."

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[Fedora]

"We found no signs of violence at all, none at all,"

Doesn't necessarily rule out poison, and every royal court at that time had poison experts.

[SunkenCiv]

Just updating the GGG information, not sending a general distribution.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[SunkenCiv]

Medici Family Cold Case Finally Solved
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/medici-mystery-cold-case.html

[SunkenCiv]

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe ·
	Gods Graves Glyphs	Just updating the GGG info, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
·Dogpile · Archaeologica · Mirabilis.ca · LiveScience · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Discover · Bronze Age Forum · Science Daily · Science News · Eurekalert · PhysOrg · · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google · · Archaeology · The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists · · History topic · history keyword · archaeology keyword · paleontology keyword · · Science topic · science keyword · Books/Literature topic · pages keyword · ·