Rosalia has been regarded as the world's best-preserved mummy in various instances. She has been described as this “porcelain doll in her box, a collector’s item never opened, never touched, never disturbed.” she was a Palermitin child who died in 1920 due to pneumonia as a result of the Spanish flu. However, there are arguments that say that this might not be the truth. Rosalina might have died because of a disease called Diptheria.
Diphtheria was a highly infectious disease that affected many children, and in 1920 it was widespread in Italy. It must have been common in Palermo, because Michele Gerbasi, a pioneer of pediatric medicine in that town, wrote an essay about statistical and clinical observations on diphtheria in childhood in Palermo during 1919- 1925, with particular attention to the medical treatments. He noted that diphtheria was endemic in Palermo, mainly in newborns and children aged under two years. Therefore, his argument seems much more plausible as the reason behind Rosalia's death. Her family was deeply grief-stricken.
Her death was all the more devastating since she was only a few months old when she died. It took place just a few days before her second birthday. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo had asked Alfredo Salafia, an embalmer, to preserve her remains. He was a famous local taxidermist and was asked to be Rosalia's father to make her live forever. She was preserved so perfectly that her internal organs are still intact.
Preserving Rosalia
If one were to visit her mummy located in one of the catacombs underneath the Capuchin convent in Palermo, Sicily, one would say that she seems as if she would get up, and be alive any moment. Many people even claim that it appears as if the little girl is trying to “open her eyes”.
However, in 2009, Italian paleopathologist Dario Piombino-Mascali debunked this myth. He said that it is because of an optical illusion that is produced by the light that filters through the side windows, and this light is obviously subject to change during the day. People visit her in 1000s of numbers and are shocked and surprised at the little blonde girl’s lifelike appearance. He says that her eyes had never been completely closed, therefore, when the light reaches her eyes at different angles, it seems as if they are opening.
What Did Alfredo Salafia as an Embalmer?
As interesting as it is Alfredo carried the formula that he had used along with him to his grave in 1933, hence leaving no clues behind. However, Italian biographer, Dario Piombino-Mascali managed to track down his living relatives and uncovered some evidence through the papers Salafia had left behind. It was found that Rosalia, after her death, had been injected with formalin, zinc salts, alcohol, salicylic acid, and glycerin.
Formalin is quite widely used as an embalming agent, it helps in eliminating bacteria. Alcohol, along with the arid climate in the catacombs, dried Lombardo’s body. Glycerin kept her body from drying out too much, and salicylic acid prevented the growth of fungi. Zinc helped the most in such remarkable preservation of this mummy. She has also been attributed the title of “Sleeping Beauty of Palermo”, hers was the last entered into the cemetery of Capuchin of Friars.
At Present
As of now, Rosalia rests in a sort of glass capsule, filled with oxygen and nitrogen so as to protect her from the surroundings. Ever since her catacomb opened she has been regarded as the most beautiful mummy.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, It is commendable how Salafia was able to come up with such an advanced technique and ensure that Rosalia in fact lives forever. At times people have to suffer such devastating losses, that it becomes difficult for them to say goodbye to not just the memories of the person lost but even the mortal remains left behind.
Hence, the preservation or embalming of dead bodies had become somewhat popular in ancient times. Other reasons of course were those that included varied religious beliefs or the death of some famous figure and the desire to leave him/her for posterity to discover.
Written by: Vishakha Baisoya
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