Result of Virtual Autopsy Reveals 17th-Century Mummified Toddler
- Daily Mail/dr. Nerlich
VIVA – A team of researchers based in Germany using state-of-the-art science alongside historical records to shed new light on Renaissance Childhood. They found the 17th-century mummy in a virtual autopsy.
As quoted from the Daily Mail, the mummy is the son of one of the Princes of Starhemberg. The researchers concluded that the mummy was a boy named Richard Wilhelm who died in 1625 or 1626. To determine the period he died, radiocarbon dating of the tissue and skin was carried out.
The child was found buried in a wooden coffin in the Austrian family's crypt, where the mummification process had preserved his soft tissue. His body, which was given a CT scan, showed signs of pneumonia and a vitamin D deficiency.
Bayi mumi dari abad ke-17 diotopsi secara virtual
- Daily Mail/dr. Nerlich
Starhemberg is one of the oldest aristocratic families in Austria and their crypt is located close to the residence at Wildberg Castle, Hellmonsoedt Village.
The crypt contained many family members who were all buried in metal coffins elaborately decorated, except for a baby whose coffin was wooden and unmarked.
His burial conditions and mummification preserved the tissue so that it can be analyzed using cutting-edge technology to reveal more about his life and death.
bayi mumi dari abad ke-17 diotopsi secara virtual
- Daily Mail/dr. Nerlich
From the results of research published on October 26, 2022, by the team of dr. Nerlich, studying the teeth and measuring the length of the bones showed that the child died between the ages of 12 and 18 months.
The body anatomy showed the child was a boy, with black hair, and overweight for his age. On the other side, it proves that the parents are feeding the child well.
But when the researchers performed a virtual autopsy via CT scans, they noticed that his ribs were deformed in a pattern called a rachitic rosary usually seen in acute rickets or scurvy.
It stated that even though he was fed enough to gain weight, he was still malnourished which refers to a vitamin D deficiency after being hidden from the sun.
Researchers said that during the Renaissance, people with high social status avoided sun exposure because royalty was expected to have white skin and this also applies to small babies.
