The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

[BarbieCue]

One of the last bodies laid to rest in the Catacombs of the Capuchin monks of Palermo, Italy, was Rosalia Lombardo. Only 2 years old when she died on December 6, 1920, apparently of a bronchial infection, Rosalia has gained fame because of the excellent preservation of her body. She is often referred to as "The Sleeping Beauty."

Her embalmer was Professor Alfredo Salafia, an Italian chemist who discovered a way to preserve bodies using a special formula: formalin, zinc salts, alcohol, salicylic acid, and glycerin. Formalin was used to kill bacteria; alcohol dried Rosalia's body; glycerin stopped the body from drying out too much; and salicylic acid stopped the growth of fungus.

It was the zinc salts that were most responsible for Rosalia's amazing state of preservation. Zinc, which is no longer used by embalmers in the United States, gave her rigidity - you could take her out of the casket prop her up, and she would stand by herself.

http://www.mummytombs.com/mummylocator/featured/rosalia.htm

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[Hadeel]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

She is really a sleeping beauty. wow

[Innocent Smile]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

Wow. I am speechless.

[canadiandesigirl]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

Makes me sad looking at her because she was experimented on after she passed away. She does look like a doll though.

[blueangel]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

I'm speechless too after seeing how the body's preserved!!

[redvelvet]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

I need to leave instructions to have myself zinc-salted up when I check out from this world.

[redvelvet]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

Islam doesn't allow us to do that, right?

[Hadeel]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

Yup. It doesn't.

[Faris Udeen]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

Would be interesting to see how it developes over time though... I mean 1920 was not that long ago... if its still as impressive as this after 300 or 500 years then I can say its miracle indeed. Anyway I want to be buried rather than embalmed... surely they took the organs etc out so this is merely a shell rather than a complete body right?

[hareem01]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

oh wow.

[~MuNiYa~]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

Thats something - so sad to see.

[Muzna]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

she is not alone.
there are several bodies preserved like this .....

[~MuNiYa~]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

So aside from just wanting to see if they can; are there any other reasons to do this?

[BarbieCue]

Re: The best preserved mummy - Rosalia Lombardo

Would be interesting to see how it developes over time though... I mean 1920 was not that long ago... if its still as impressive as this after 300 or 500 years then I can say its miracle indeed.

Yeah it has slowly started to show signs of decay e.g. discoloration. They moved the mummy to a new drier spot in the catacombs, and her original coffin was placed in a hermetically sealed glass enclosure with nitrogen gas to prevent decay. But then it was returned to its original location. I'm assuming the scientists are going to keep fighting to keep it looking good as long as they can.

So aside from just wanting to see if they can; are there any other reasons to do this?

Apparently, her dad was grief-stricken when she passed away and didn't want to let go of her. He was the one who approached the embalmer to get his daughter's body preserved.