Medical News From Scientific Analysis of the Turin Shroud

• Main Authors: Bevilacqua M., D’Arienzo M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2015-01-01
• Series: MATEC Web of Conferences
• Subjects: Turin Shroud; trauma; humerus and ankle dislocation; Hands and feet nailing; Lung and cardiac contusion
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/20153603003

This paper synthetizes a series of works recently published in reference to medical studies regarding both the physical conditions of the Man who was wrapped in the Turin Shroud (TS) and the tortures to which this Man was subjected. An event that influenced the rapid course of the Passion and the cause of death of the TS Man was the fall under the weight of the cross. This Man shows, on the right side, shoulder lowering, flat hand and henophthalmos, revealing a violent blunt trauma, from behind, to neck, chest and shoulder, with the entire brachial plexus injury and muscular damage to the neck bottom with the head bent forward and turned to the left, on the cross, as he had a stiff neck. Most likely, falling the body forward, the chest trauma caused a heart and lung contusion with hemothorax. The wrists were easily nailed in the Destot space with ulnar artery cutting and partial tear of the ulnar nerve cause of the thumb retraction and its disappearance on the Shroud. The nail in the right foot was driven in the tarsal bones. The right foot was probably dislocated to the ankle. The lance penetrated in the sixth intercostal space. The likely cause of immediate death was a myocardial infarction with rupture, haemopericardium and heart tamponade of a subject with cardiac contusion. Tortures and other medical conditions have only accelerated the death.