Mysterious corpses of laughter

Scientists believe that they have found the cause of many corpses since ancient times on an island in Italy with a strange smile.

In the treasure of ancient Greek literature, people often refer to corpses with a strange smile on the island of Sardinia in Italy. The phrase 'Sardonic grin' (transcription of a deadly corpse) is always used to describe such corpses. The word 'sardonic' comes from the island name.

Today, in most modern European languages, 'Sardonic grin' is still used to refer to those who have a strange laugh. For decades the scientific community was keen to remove the mysterious veil around the smiling corpses, but no research has been deemed convincing. But recently some experts from Cagliari University (Italy) claimed they had found a solution.

Oenanthe lachenalii species . Photo: Wikimedia.org

Tubular water jars (Oenanthe lachenalii) are quite popular on Sardinia. The University of Cagliari (Italy) team found that there are several chemical compounds in the plant that can make facial muscles shrink, creating a grin.

'Our findings reinforce the judgment of many anthropologists: The ancient people on Sardinia put the juice of water on the body before being buried' , Mauro Ballero, a botanist from Cagliari University expression.

Before ancient Rome, people often held ceremonies to kill the elderly because they thought they were a burden of society. Tubular water plants are always used during those ceremonies.

'According to many historians in ancient times, elderly people who were incapable of living on their own were often poisoned by tubular water plants. Then the other members of the community threw them down the cliff or hit them to death. The chemicals in the plants need tubular water to make the face muscles shrink, creating a weird smile , 'the team said.

The poet Homer of Greece was the first person to use the word 'sardinic' after knowing that the Punic living on Sardinia forced criminals, prisoners or elderly people to take poison from a tubular water plant to kill them. 'Punic people believe that death is the beginning of a new life. Therefore, the corpse must smile to show happiness , 'Dr. Ballero explained.

Tubular water plants have a distant relative relationship with carrots and tubers but have a very high concentration of toxins in the stems and leaves. The results of the study could lead to many applications in modern medicine. The properties of tubular water plants can relax the muscles of people with facial paralysis.

"The good news is that pharmaceutical companies can force molecules in tubular water plants to follow their wishes ," Ballero commented.