I’ve been working in a different gallery for a while (it’s being cleared of hundreds of specimens for refurbishment, but the specimens *won’t* go back into that space unfortunately.) So here’s an oldie but a goodie from the main site: 🍖 I wonder if I can get the phrase “Steve the Beef” into a post? Yes I can indeed! Read on… Adipocere: This gentleman is from the Forensic Collection at the Pathology Museum, dated around 1960s/70s and was discovered in the septic tank of a housing estate. The pathologists posited that perhaps he was the murder victim of a London gang rivalling The Krays, or The Krays themselves. Another reason for that theory is his teeth were knocked out, thereby making ID very difficult. This is a dry skull but it’s preserved as what we call a ‘wet specimen’ in Kaiserling fluid as it has adipocere clinging to it. Adipocere – which literally translates into ‘fatty wax’ from the Greek ‘adipose’ meaning fat and ‘cera’ meaning wax – is a “soapy, waxy” substance which occurs in the deceased when the fat or adipose tissue of the body undergoes a process called ‘saponification’. That process litterally means ‘to turn into soap’, although you wouldn’t want to wash with it! I’d call it ‘caseous’ really, which means ‘cheesy’) Just as an aside, the actor Micheal Cera translated is Michael Wax, in the same way that Shia LaBeouf can be translated as “Steve the Beef” 😂😂😂 Anyway, this process usually happens if there is a high moisture content in the environment during decomposition, and can be useful to forensic investigators as it can preserve the tissue underneath. #adipocere #forensics #forensicscience #pathology #pathologymuseum #anatomy #anatomicalmuseum #anatomymuseum #histmed #wetspecimen #conservation #pottedspecimen #michaelcera #shialabeouf
I’ve been working in a different gallery for a while (it’s being cleared of hundreds of specimens for refurbishment, but the specimens *won’t* go back into that space unfortunately.) So here’s an oldie but a goodie from the main site: 🍖 I wonder if I can get the phrase “Steve the Beef” into a post? Yes I can indeed! Read on… Adipocere: This gentleman is from the Forensic Collection at the Pathology Museum, dated around 1960s/70s and was discovered in the septic tank of a housing estate. The pathologists posited that perhaps he was the murder victim of a London gang rivalling The Krays, or The Krays themselves. Another reason for that theory is his teeth were knocked out, thereby making ID very difficult. This is a dry skull but it’s preserved as what we call a ‘wet specimen’ in Kaiserling fluid as it has adipocere clinging to it. Adipocere – which literally translates into ‘fatty wax’ from the Greek ‘adipose’ meaning fat and ‘cera’ meaning wax – is a “soapy, waxy” substance which occurs in the deceased when the fat or adipose tissue of the body undergoes a process called ‘saponification’. That process litterally means ‘to turn into soap’, although you wouldn’t want to wash with it! I’d call it ‘caseous’ really, which means ‘cheesy’) Just as an aside, the actor Micheal Cera translated is Michael Wax, in the same way that Shia LaBeouf can be translated as “Steve the Beef” 😂😂😂 Anyway, this process usually happens if there is a high moisture content in the environment during decomposition, and can be useful to forensic investigators as it can preserve the tissue underneath. #adipocere #forensics #forensicscience #pathology #pathologymuseum #anatomy #anatomicalmuseum #anatomymuseum #histmed #wetspecimen #conservation #pottedspecimen #michaelcera #shialabeouf
“Snot holes”. I found this skull in my office a few years ago with no catalogue information and ended up putting a pic on Twitter to see if anyone could help identify the holes in the forehead. I didn’t know if they were artificial or congenital or what. Not only did I find out what they were I also had a Doctor from the US contact me to say he *had* the whole skull catalogue! Incredible what can be found on the internet. Turns out these are trephining holes to purge mucus – quite common in the 18th Century. The power of social media! Sometimes it’s on the side of good…💀 #humanremains #remainstobeseen #anatomy #pathology #specimen #conservation #histmed #skull #trephining #trepanning
I organised this along with some absolutely BRILLIANT bakers and confectioners in Oct 2016, to raise awareness of the fact that the UK is quite far behind many other countries in that it doesn’t have a Taphonomical Research Facility (otherwise known as a ‘Body Farm’). The Body Farm in Tennessee, established decades ago, was the flagship one. Have a good old Google to see the incredible work they do there ☠️ #bodyfarm #thebodyfarm #forensics #forensicscience #taphonomy #research #truecrime
I’m currently more focused on the forensics specimens held in the collection I work at, because the last book I had published was about the forensics of Agatha Christie (and I’m starting work on a new one…watch this space!) This is a potted section of a man’s torso (you can see the nipple, for context) with a gunshot wound. Archive Info: “caused by an old, large calibre service revolver which hadn’t been cleaned or fired for many years and it was an accidental shooting, possibly because the ammunition was unstable. The combination of a barrel lined with corrosion & carbon deposits, together with old, corroded ammo proved to be deadly. It’s theorised the gun went off due to jarring, so it wasn’t an outright shooting. The rectangular stretch below the wound is from a dressing applied for a short while”. 📸 is mine #gun #gunshot #gunshotwound #forensics #ballistics #forensicballistics #humanremains #autopsy #remains2beseen #anatomy #pathology #specimen #conservation #wetspecimen #anatomymuseum #pathologymuseum
I just had to! (Partly inspired by the art on @funeralbossinc) #barbie #barbiethemovie
⚠️ Barts is closing????! Please Read ⚠️ I remember posting this image so many years ago when I first started the account a few years into my work at Barts Pathology Museum. I was so excited to hit 20k followers and the reach with each post was incredible compared to today (I had a look at how many people saw, engaged with and commented on this post and it was over 10x what I get on posts now despite me having nearly 5x the followers now 🤷♀️). The reason it’s important is that I miss feeling like I have a little community to chat to about human remains and my work, via this app, because I was able to share that work with so many of you, so easily. My reach has certainly dwindled because my posting has – and I’m not sure what came first… chicken and egg etc. The reason I mention this is it looks like we’re *finally* getting the Grade II roof fixed at the pathology museum but it will be CLOSED for 2 years and all specimens removed from the shelves down to the basement 🤦♀️. So, I’m going to do as many events IN THE MUSEUM as I can before that happens, and I’ll share the specimens via videos and reels for a while so that they can still be seen and learned from. If you think you’d be into that PLEASE let me know via comments (I’ll throw the vids on TikTok too if there’s interest.) The one saving grace is that the museum will be empty of everyone and that means teaching cannot happen there, which will free up my time considerably (teaching pretty much tripled in there after COVID and public events were off). So, it’s a new era for me and Barts. Social media helped me get this place on the map and get it a following when no-one knew about it and I had to drag it from the depths of dilapidation and decay. Maybe, with your help, social media can save it again? #SOS #saveourspecimens
This is the skeleton of ‘The Yorkshire Witch’ Mary Bateman, 1768- 1809, and an image of a cup made from her skin. (Straight off the bat I want to give @thepoisonerscabinet a shoutout because I learned about this woman in Ep 14 of their podcast and they recently reached over 200!) ☠️ Although Mary was known as ‘The Yorkshire Witch’ she was actually a con artist and murderer of 5 people. There’s so much to tell about her crimes but my favourite has to be when she claimed she had a chicken who could predict the Apocalypse. It was known as “The Prophet Hen of Leeds” and it laid eggs which said CRIST IS COMING (she misspelled ‘Christ’, and I think it would have been even funnier if she’d written ‘Chris’!) ☠️ Mary very cleverly etched this phrase into the shells of the eggs with vinegar – rather than writing it on with ink – because it looked more organic; like a part of the surface. This is because the acetic acid in the vinegar neutralises the calcium carbonate in the shell of the egg, releasing carbon dioxide, causing it to lighten in colour and become thinner. The second part of this con, apparently re-inserting the inscribed eggs into the unfortunate hen, is a bit harder to verify… ☠️ After eventually being exposed as a fraud and murderer she was hanged in York Castle and, as was the custom at the time, “anatomised” or dissected publicly. Her skeleton was then displayed to anyone who paid and her skin was flayed and tanned. It was used to bind books, which are no longer in existence, and used to make a folding cup, which I have to say I’ve never really come across before. ☠️ Up until 2015 most of her skeleton, pictured, was on public display at the Thakray Museum in Leeds. However, with changing attitudes towards the display of human remains and the subsequent Human Tissue Act coming into force, she has been in private storage in the anatomy department of Leeds Medical School since then (Lots of this info is from MURDERERS’ LEATHER By EDWARD ELMHIRST 1954) ☠️ #skeleton #humanremains #witch #poisoner
This is the skeleton of ‘The Yorkshire Witch’ Mary Bateman, 1768- 1809, and an image of a cup made from her skin. (Straight off the bat I want to give @thepoisonerscabinet a shoutout because I learned about this woman in Ep 14 of their podcast and they recently reached over 200!) ☠️ Although Mary was known as ‘The Yorkshire Witch’ she was actually a con artist and murderer of 5 people. There’s so much to tell about her crimes but my favourite has to be when she claimed she had a chicken who could predict the Apocalypse. It was known as “The Prophet Hen of Leeds” and it laid eggs which said CRIST IS COMING (she misspelled ‘Christ’, and I think it would have been even funnier if she’d written ‘Chris’!) ☠️ Mary very cleverly etched this phrase into the shells of the eggs with vinegar – rather than writing it on with ink – because it looked more organic; like a part of the surface. This is because the acetic acid in the vinegar neutralises the calcium carbonate in the shell of the egg, releasing carbon dioxide, causing it to lighten in colour and become thinner. The second part of this con, apparently re-inserting the inscribed eggs into the unfortunate hen, is a bit harder to verify… ☠️ After eventually being exposed as a fraud and murderer she was hanged in York Castle and, as was the custom at the time, “anatomised” or dissected publicly. Her skeleton was then displayed to anyone who paid and her skin was flayed and tanned. It was used to bind books, which are no longer in existence, and used to make a folding cup, which I have to say I’ve never really come across before. ☠️ Up until 2015 most of her skeleton, pictured, was on public display at the Thakray Museum in Leeds. However, with changing attitudes towards the display of human remains and the subsequent Human Tissue Act coming into force, she has been in private storage in the anatomy department of Leeds Medical School since then (Lots of this info is from MURDERERS’ LEATHER By EDWARD ELMHIRST 1954) ☠️ #skeleton #humanremains #witch #poisoner
This is the skeleton of ‘The Yorkshire Witch’ Mary Bateman, 1768- 1809, and an image of a cup made from her skin. (Straight off the bat I want to give @thepoisonerscabinet a shoutout because I learned about this woman in Ep 14 of their podcast and they recently reached over 200!) ☠️ Although Mary was known as ‘The Yorkshire Witch’ she was actually a con artist and murderer of 5 people. There’s so much to tell about her crimes but my favourite has to be when she claimed she had a chicken who could predict the Apocalypse. It was known as “The Prophet Hen of Leeds” and it laid eggs which said CRIST IS COMING (she misspelled ‘Christ’, and I think it would have been even funnier if she’d written ‘Chris’!) ☠️ Mary very cleverly etched this phrase into the shells of the eggs with vinegar – rather than writing it on with ink – because it looked more organic; like a part of the surface. This is because the acetic acid in the vinegar neutralises the calcium carbonate in the shell of the egg, releasing carbon dioxide, causing it to lighten in colour and become thinner. The second part of this con, apparently re-inserting the inscribed eggs into the unfortunate hen, is a bit harder to verify… ☠️ After eventually being exposed as a fraud and murderer she was hanged in York Castle and, as was the custom at the time, “anatomised” or dissected publicly. Her skeleton was then displayed to anyone who paid and her skin was flayed and tanned. It was used to bind books, which are no longer in existence, and used to make a folding cup, which I have to say I’ve never really come across before. ☠️ Up until 2015 most of her skeleton, pictured, was on public display at the Thakray Museum in Leeds. However, with changing attitudes towards the display of human remains and the subsequent Human Tissue Act coming into force, she has been in private storage in the anatomy department of Leeds Medical School since then (Lots of this info is from MURDERERS’ LEATHER By EDWARD ELMHIRST 1954) ☠️ #skeleton #humanremains #witch #poisoner
Pop quiz! Apologies for the poor quality of the photo I took, but I’ve not been at the museum much recently and had to use an old image. Does anyone know what this potted specimen is? • It’s a “human horn!” (Yes, I thought of Futurama too…) The medical name for this condition is a cutaneous horn, as cutaneous means “relating to or affecting the skin”, and in Latin it’s Cornu Cutaneum. It may also be called a keratin horn because these unusual growths are made from keratin, which is the same substance that makes up hair & nails in humans, and the oesophagus of rats. They are often benign but can sometimes be malignant and their cause is still unknown. Because they more commonly appear on the face, ears and backs of hands, and in those with fair skin, it’s been suggested that there may be a connection with exposure to sunlight but there’s also a theory they are related to the wart causing virus HPV. They can be removed fairly easily for those with access to a decent medical system. • As you can see from the 2nd slide, there are still people suffering from this affliction and it’s not an archaic condition. The woman in the picture is a 69 yo who watched this horn develop over a period of 20 years. At the time this pic was taken the horn was 17cm long and was removed under general anaesthetic. • You can see from the final image that @muttermuseum in Philadelphia has an example of this in the form of a wax moulage. The woman depicted was called Madame Dimanche and she lived in 19th century France. Her horn was 25cm long! • We had a sudden period of “summer” here in the UK over the last fortnight so, if these horns are linked to sun damage, this is your reminder to always wear SPF, and if you have any unusual growths or moles that have recently changed in appearance, go and get it checked out! • #cutaneoushorn #medicine #medicalmuseum #pathology #muttermuseum #mutter #protectthemutter #histmed #pathologymuseum #wetspecimen #humanremains #skincancerawareness
Pop quiz! Apologies for the poor quality of the photo I took, but I’ve not been at the museum much recently and had to use an old image. Does anyone know what this potted specimen is? • It’s a “human horn!” (Yes, I thought of Futurama too…) The medical name for this condition is a cutaneous horn, as cutaneous means “relating to or affecting the skin”, and in Latin it’s Cornu Cutaneum. It may also be called a keratin horn because these unusual growths are made from keratin, which is the same substance that makes up hair & nails in humans, and the oesophagus of rats. They are often benign but can sometimes be malignant and their cause is still unknown. Because they more commonly appear on the face, ears and backs of hands, and in those with fair skin, it’s been suggested that there may be a connection with exposure to sunlight but there’s also a theory they are related to the wart causing virus HPV. They can be removed fairly easily for those with access to a decent medical system. • As you can see from the 2nd slide, there are still people suffering from this affliction and it’s not an archaic condition. The woman in the picture is a 69 yo who watched this horn develop over a period of 20 years. At the time this pic was taken the horn was 17cm long and was removed under general anaesthetic. • You can see from the final image that @muttermuseum in Philadelphia has an example of this in the form of a wax moulage. The woman depicted was called Madame Dimanche and she lived in 19th century France. Her horn was 25cm long! • We had a sudden period of “summer” here in the UK over the last fortnight so, if these horns are linked to sun damage, this is your reminder to always wear SPF, and if you have any unusual growths or moles that have recently changed in appearance, go and get it checked out! • #cutaneoushorn #medicine #medicalmuseum #pathology #muttermuseum #mutter #protectthemutter #histmed #pathologymuseum #wetspecimen #humanremains #skincancerawareness
Pop quiz! Apologies for the poor quality of the photo I took, but I’ve not been at the museum much recently and had to use an old image. Does anyone know what this potted specimen is? • It’s a “human horn!” (Yes, I thought of Futurama too…) The medical name for this condition is a cutaneous horn, as cutaneous means “relating to or affecting the skin”, and in Latin it’s Cornu Cutaneum. It may also be called a keratin horn because these unusual growths are made from keratin, which is the same substance that makes up hair & nails in humans, and the oesophagus of rats. They are often benign but can sometimes be malignant and their cause is still unknown. Because they more commonly appear on the face, ears and backs of hands, and in those with fair skin, it’s been suggested that there may be a connection with exposure to sunlight but there’s also a theory they are related to the wart causing virus HPV. They can be removed fairly easily for those with access to a decent medical system. • As you can see from the 2nd slide, there are still people suffering from this affliction and it’s not an archaic condition. The woman in the picture is a 69 yo who watched this horn develop over a period of 20 years. At the time this pic was taken the horn was 17cm long and was removed under general anaesthetic. • You can see from the final image that @muttermuseum in Philadelphia has an example of this in the form of a wax moulage. The woman depicted was called Madame Dimanche and she lived in 19th century France. Her horn was 25cm long! • We had a sudden period of “summer” here in the UK over the last fortnight so, if these horns are linked to sun damage, this is your reminder to always wear SPF, and if you have any unusual growths or moles that have recently changed in appearance, go and get it checked out! • #cutaneoushorn #medicine #medicalmuseum #pathology #muttermuseum #mutter #protectthemutter #histmed #pathologymuseum #wetspecimen #humanremains #skincancerawareness
“Tomb with a view!” One of the most beautiful cemeteries I’ve seen around the world: sea view and all graves facing #stmarys #islesofscilly
Thanks so much to @uompathsoc for their 5 star review of my first book ‘Past Mortems’ (which was released in the USA as ‘The Chick and the Dead’). It’s really lovely to get good reviews at any time, but particularly this first one as it was such an achievement/dream come true. I’m referring back to ‘Past Mortems’ a lot myself, recently, aa I work on a few chapters of the follow-up, so if you’ve not read it, make sure you do!! I’ll be forever grateful and it’ll get you in the mood for more of my books (I hope!!) 📚 #forensics #pastmortems #histsci #forensicscience #histmed #historyofforensics #truecrime #mortuary #morgue #postmortems #postmortem #autopsy #autopsies #bloodspatter #firearms #toxicology #carlavalentine #littlebrown #thechickandthedead #thescienceofmurder
Thanks so much to @uompathsoc for their 5 star review of my first book ‘Past Mortems’ (which was released in the USA as ‘The Chick and the Dead’). It’s really lovely to get good reviews at any time, but particularly this first one as it was such an achievement/dream come true. I’m referring back to ‘Past Mortems’ a lot myself, recently, aa I work on a few chapters of the follow-up, so if you’ve not read it, make sure you do!! I’ll be forever grateful and it’ll get you in the mood for more of my books (I hope!!) 📚 #forensics #pastmortems #histsci #forensicscience #histmed #historyofforensics #truecrime #mortuary #morgue #postmortems #postmortem #autopsy #autopsies #bloodspatter #firearms #toxicology #carlavalentine #littlebrown #thechickandthedead #thescienceofmurder
Thanks so much to @uompathsoc for their 5 star review of my first book ‘Past Mortems’ (which was released in the USA as ‘The Chick and the Dead’). It’s really lovely to get good reviews at any time, but particularly this first one as it was such an achievement/dream come true. I’m referring back to ‘Past Mortems’ a lot myself, recently, aa I work on a few chapters of the follow-up, so if you’ve not read it, make sure you do!! I’ll be forever grateful and it’ll get you in the mood for more of my books (I hope!!) 📚 #forensics #pastmortems #histsci #forensicscience #histmed #historyofforensics #truecrime #mortuary #morgue #postmortems #postmortem #autopsy #autopsies #bloodspatter #firearms #toxicology #carlavalentine #littlebrown #thechickandthedead #thescienceofmurder
Thanks so much to @uompathsoc for their 5 star review of my first book ‘Past Mortems’ (which was released in the USA as ‘The Chick and the Dead’). It’s really lovely to get good reviews at any time, but particularly this first one as it was such an achievement/dream come true. I’m referring back to ‘Past Mortems’ a lot myself, recently, aa I work on a few chapters of the follow-up, so if you’ve not read it, make sure you do!! I’ll be forever grateful and it’ll get you in the mood for more of my books (I hope!!) 📚 #forensics #pastmortems #histsci #forensicscience #histmed #historyofforensics #truecrime #mortuary #morgue #postmortems #postmortem #autopsy #autopsies #bloodspatter #firearms #toxicology #carlavalentine #littlebrown #thechickandthedead #thescienceofmurder
Thanks so much to @officialagathachristie and @emmahollandpr for a wonderful evening last night! I went to see ‘And Then There Were None’ at @churchill_bromley and it was fantastic. It’s a great retelling of a relentlessly dark Agatha Christie book (one of the best selling books of all time, at over 100 million copies) with a powerful final scene. I was lucky enough to bump into Bob Barrett after the show for this pic – swipe – and other cast members include David Yelland who played the valet, George, to David Suchet’s ‘Poirot’ for years; Joseph Beattie @carelesstwins and Andrew Lancel @andrew.lancel. between them, the cast has been in Poirot, Father Brown, The Bill, Midsomer Murders, Inspector Alleyn, Marple and Marcella so they know what they’re doing when it comes to murders and mysteries! Check it out in Bromley until April 6th then Southampton 8th to 13th 💀 #andthentherewerenone #agathachristie #bromley #churchilltheatre
Thanks so much to @officialagathachristie and @emmahollandpr for a wonderful evening last night! I went to see ‘And Then There Were None’ at @churchill_bromley and it was fantastic. It’s a great retelling of a relentlessly dark Agatha Christie book (one of the best selling books of all time, at over 100 million copies) with a powerful final scene. I was lucky enough to bump into Bob Barrett after the show for this pic – swipe – and other cast members include David Yelland who played the valet, George, to David Suchet’s ‘Poirot’ for years; Joseph Beattie @carelesstwins and Andrew Lancel @andrew.lancel. between them, the cast has been in Poirot, Father Brown, The Bill, Midsomer Murders, Inspector Alleyn, Marple and Marcella so they know what they’re doing when it comes to murders and mysteries! Check it out in Bromley until April 6th then Southampton 8th to 13th 💀 #andthentherewerenone #agathachristie #bromley #churchilltheatre
Thanks so much to @officialagathachristie and @emmahollandpr for a wonderful evening last night! I went to see ‘And Then There Were None’ at @churchill_bromley and it was fantastic. It’s a great retelling of a relentlessly dark Agatha Christie book (one of the best selling books of all time, at over 100 million copies) with a powerful final scene. I was lucky enough to bump into Bob Barrett after the show for this pic – swipe – and other cast members include David Yelland who played the valet, George, to David Suchet’s ‘Poirot’ for years; Joseph Beattie @carelesstwins and Andrew Lancel @andrew.lancel. between them, the cast has been in Poirot, Father Brown, The Bill, Midsomer Murders, Inspector Alleyn, Marple and Marcella so they know what they’re doing when it comes to murders and mysteries! Check it out in Bromley until April 6th then Southampton 8th to 13th 💀 #andthentherewerenone #agathachristie #bromley #churchilltheatre
(From my personal @carlavalentineuk account) My last post was on a gunshot: Please take a moment to read and/or share my new article on @officialagathachristie: some fantastic and astonishing facts about Agatha Christie’s knowledge of firearms, and firearms in general in the UK pre 1937 (link in Linktree, in Bio). 1937 is when the UK Firearms Act came in, and it gave us some of the tightest gun control in the world. 🔍 #agathachristie #forensics #agathasforensics #histsci #forensicscience #histmed #historyofforensics #truecrime #vintagecrime #pastmortems #postmortems #postmortem #autopsy #autopsies #bloodspatter #firearms #toxicology #carlavalentine #littlebrown #murderisnteasy #thescienceofmurder #sourcebooks
I’m on the latest episode of the podcast @shedunnitshow talking about ‘The Golden Age Autopsy’ and it’s one of four special episodes we’ll be collaborating on this year. Do take a listen because Caroline’s podcast really is so wonderfully relaxing to listen to and I was a huge fan before I did my first episode with her a couple of Christmases ago (talking Hercule Poirot and BLOOD). Find all episodes and transcripts at shedunnit.com and everywhere you get your podcasts including BBC. 🎙️ #shedunnit #shedunnitshow #whodunnit #agathachristiesforensics #agathasforensics #murdermystery #murderisnteasy #historyofforensics #forensicscience #autopsies #autopsy #autopsytechnician
I chat to Caroline about The Golden Age Autopsy on the latest episode of the Shedunnit podcast (@shedunnitshow) https://shedunnitshow.com/thegoldenageautopsy/
