The natural mummy of Cangrande della Scala was exhumed from its tomb in the church of Santa Maria Antiqua in Verona and was submitted to a multidisciplinary study, that included archaeological, palaeopathological, palynological, toxicological and historical investigation. The body of Cangrande, still wearing his precious clothes, was in a good state of preservation. Palynological analyses demonstrated the presence of pollen grains of Digitalis sp./foxglove in the rectum content, along with Matricaria Chamomilla/chamomille and Morus nigra/black mulberry. Toxicological analyses showed toxic concentrations of digoxin and digitoxin, two Digitalis glycosides, in the liver and faeces samples. Both palynological and toxicological data suggest an intoxication through the oral administration of an infusion or decoction of leaves and flowers of Digitalis. The most likely hypothesis on the causes of death is that of a deliberate administration of a lethal amount of Digitalis

A medieval case of digitalis poisoning: the sudden death of Cangrande della Scala, lord of Verona (1291e1329) / Fornaciari, G.; Giuffra, V.; Bortolotti, F.; Gottardo, G.; Marvelli, S.; Marchesini, M.; Marinozzi, Silvia; Fornaciari, A.; Brocco, G.; Tagliaro, F.. - In: JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE. - ISSN 1095-9238. - STAMPA. - 54:(2015), pp. 162-167. [10.1016/j.jas.2014.12.005]

A medieval case of digitalis poisoning: the sudden death of Cangrande della Scala, lord of Verona (1291e1329)

MARINOZZI, SILVIA;
2015

Abstract

The natural mummy of Cangrande della Scala was exhumed from its tomb in the church of Santa Maria Antiqua in Verona and was submitted to a multidisciplinary study, that included archaeological, palaeopathological, palynological, toxicological and historical investigation. The body of Cangrande, still wearing his precious clothes, was in a good state of preservation. Palynological analyses demonstrated the presence of pollen grains of Digitalis sp./foxglove in the rectum content, along with Matricaria Chamomilla/chamomille and Morus nigra/black mulberry. Toxicological analyses showed toxic concentrations of digoxin and digitoxin, two Digitalis glycosides, in the liver and faeces samples. Both palynological and toxicological data suggest an intoxication through the oral administration of an infusion or decoction of leaves and flowers of Digitalis. The most likely hypothesis on the causes of death is that of a deliberate administration of a lethal amount of Digitalis
2015
Middle Ages; Natural mummy; Foxglove; Digitalis; Palynology; Toxicology; Digoxin; Digitoxin
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
A medieval case of digitalis poisoning: the sudden death of Cangrande della Scala, lord of Verona (1291e1329) / Fornaciari, G.; Giuffra, V.; Bortolotti, F.; Gottardo, G.; Marvelli, S.; Marchesini, M.; Marinozzi, Silvia; Fornaciari, A.; Brocco, G.; Tagliaro, F.. - In: JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE. - ISSN 1095-9238. - STAMPA. - 54:(2015), pp. 162-167. [10.1016/j.jas.2014.12.005]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/766781
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