Dried squash 'holds headless French king's blood'

Explanation: ...

Dried squash 'holds headless French king's blood' (by AFP) [abc.net.au]




[Note image is same as embbeded above]

Two centuries after the French people beheaded Louis XVI and dipped their handkerchiefs in his blood, scientists believe they have authenticated the remains of one such rag kept as a revolutionary souvenir.

Researchers have been trying for years to verify a claim imprinted on an ornately decorated calabash that it contains a sample of the blood of the French king guillotined in Paris on January 21, 1793.

The dried, hollowed squash is adorned with portraits of revolutionary heroes and the text: "On January 21, Maximilien Bourdaloue dipped his handkerchief in the blood of Louis XVI after his decapitation."

He is then believed to have placed the fabric in the gourd and had it embellished.

A team of experts from Spain and France, who published their findings in the journal Forensic Science International, said souvenir had been in the hands of an Italian family for more than a century.

Please access the linked article for full story ok!

A bit morbid and creepy but scientifically and medically facinating!

Personal Disclosure: Just a reminder for my fellow members to not loose their heads over this ok!

What do my fellow ATS members think about this?

Don't squash the headless Frenchman!

Awesome thread!

This stuff is so interesting...I can't imagine gleefully dipping my hankie in anyone's blood as a souvenir.
S&F