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The heart of Blessed Anne-Madeleine Remuzat: a biomedical approach of “miraculous” heart conservation

Philippe Charlier 1 Isabelle Huynh-Charlier 2 Joel Poupon 3 Carles Lalueza-Fox 4 Christine Keyser 5 Christian Mougniot 6 Speranta - Maria Popescu 7 Jean-Luc Brun 8 Sylvia Pietri 9 Frédéric Thévenard 10 Laëtitia Laquay 1 Agathe Hurel 1 Jean-Pierre Ellul 11 Christian Hervé 12, 13
1 EA 4569 - Laboratoire Ethique Politique et Santé
2 Service de Radiologie Polyvalente Diagnostique et Interventionnelle [CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière]
3 Laboratoire de toxicologie
4 Departament de biologia animal
5 IML - Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Moléculaire, Institut de Médecine Légale, Strasbourg, France
6 Imagerie de Clairval, Générale de Santé, Marseille
7 GeoBioStratData
8 department of pathology, university hospital, parakou,
9 ICR - Institut de Chimie Radicalaire
10 LGL-TPE - Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement [Lyon]
11 basilique du sacré-coeur, marseille
12 Laboratoire d'Ethique Médicale, de Droit de la Santé et de Santé Publique
13 IIREB
Abstract : We present here the results of our inter-disciplinary examination of the mummified heart of Blessed Anne-Madeleine Remuzat (1696–1730). This organ has been examined in the context of a canonization process. This analysis is related to important aspects of the early history of anatomy in Europe, that of “Holy autopsies”, and to the relationship between anatomical investigations, Catholic theology, and religious/medical customs. According to anatomical, genetic, toxicological, and palynological analyses, it has been shown that this organ has not been naturally (“miraculously”) conserved but embalmed using myrtle, honey, and lime. Moreover, a right ventricle dilatation has been diagnosed, that may represent a post-tuberculosis condition and may have played a role in the cause of death of this religious figure.
Keywords : Mummification Dilated right ventricle cardiopathy Heart anatomy History of medicine
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Journal articles
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https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01145528
Contributor : Sylvia Pietri <>
Submitted on : Friday, April 24, 2015 - 2:51:06 PM
Last modification on : Wednesday, August 19, 2020 - 11:17:04 AM

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UNIV-AMU | CNRS | UPMC | LGL-TPE | INSU | UNIV-PARIS5 | ENS-LYON | INC-CNRS | USPC | UNIV-LYON1 | SORBONNE-UNIVERSITE | SU-MEDECINE | UDL | SITE-ALSACE | UNIV-PARIS

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Philippe Charlier, Isabelle Huynh-Charlier, Joel Poupon, Carles Lalueza-Fox, Christine Keyser, et al.. The heart of Blessed Anne-Madeleine Remuzat: a biomedical approach of “miraculous” heart conservation. Cardiovascular Pathology, Elsevier, 2014, 23, pp.344-350. ⟨10.1016/j.carpath.2014.07.005⟩. ⟨hal-01145528⟩

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