The mystery of decaying dead bodies

The phenomenon of non-biodegradable bodies even though the body has died for hundreds of years is a great mystery for scientists.

>>>The world famous ancient mummies

Even if you believe in life after death or the existence of the soul, one thing is certain to happen, that is, the human body and living things will undergo a lot of changes after death.

We know that, when we no longer maintain the basic functions of life such as blood circulation and metabolism - the body will start to degrade: the skin peels off and peels off, the eyeball breaks down, the hair hair falls out and finally only remains.

Not only that, the process is accelerated by maggots and bacteria, causing the body to rot, quickly merging into Mother Earth. However, there are many mysterious cases - when the body is not decomposed despite having buried a few dozen, even a few hundred years .

What is "indestructible corpse"?

Tollund Man mummy

Most people will "go to dust" according to the above decomposition process, however, recording in many religions refers to the case, many bodies can resist decomposition.

For centuries, the Roman Church believed that lay people with strong and pure faith would have a body against time, against natural decay in their graves. They are said to be "indestructible bodies".

"Indestructible body" means that in any weather condition, the body cannot rot or decompose. Many people believe that only one who has the heart of holiness and dignity will be able to possess a "indestructible body".

It sounds unbelievable, but there are a lot of churches in the world displaying 'indestructible bodies'. Although some bodies have begun to decompose, some are still well preserved after centuries. So how can a body be "indestructible" like that?

Is it a mummification procedure?

Since ancient times, humanity has had some methods to preserve the body of the dead, but perhaps the most prominent is the embalming art of Egypt. The internal organs will be drained out of the body, then "stuffed" with natural herbs to prevent decomposition.

After that, the body will be "embalmed" in the oil and finally wrapped in linen. Almost only people in the royal family were embalmed. Today, royal mummies remain well preserved after thousands of years and are present in many parts of the world.

Pharaohs and royalty are the ones with the privilege of embalming

However, one thing is not well known, is that mummies can be made completely 'randomly'. In the nineteenth century, there was a very unique custom in Mexico. It is a family member who will have to keep the body of the dead for five years before taking the cremation.

In 1865, the first bodies excavated in Guanajuato city surprised many people when all bodies were intact and there was no sign of decay - like being "embalmed".

The cause is determined by the cemetery soil is salty, dry has absorbed water and prevent the decomposition process of the body. These acres are still on display in the museum of the city.

Another case of 'mummified' corpse is Tollund Man, a prehistoric man dating back about 2,000 years ago. He was hanged in Denmark, then the body fell into peat and was preserved almost perfectly until it was discovered in 1950. More specifically, even the hair and beard remained intact.

Science entered

The cases of "indestructible bodies" mentioned above have been studied by scientists and pointed out the cause. However, there are cases of 'indestructible bodies ' that make many scientists unable to explain.

Normally, mummies are found to be "petrified" but the "indestructible bodies" are quite . soft. Although these corpses are in normal conditions and there is no sign of embalming but the skin is still elastic, though it has gone through dozens, hundreds of years.

The body of St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli

They just looked like they were sleeping or just died. Strangely, nearby buried corpses still undergo normal decomposition, even at very fast speeds.

One of the most famous 'indestructible' cases is the St. Bernadette, who died at the age of 35, but was very popular in the parish because she met the "Blessed Mother".

The body of St. John Maria Vianney still wore a wax mask in a glass cage

St. Bernadette died in 1879 and was excavated in 1909, however, the body of the Holy woman did not decompose. Later, St. Bernadette was buried again and dug up in 1923.

Saint Bernadette's corpse

After the excavation of the third grave, the body of the Holy woman was dissected and discovered that even the internal organs were intact and quite soft and malleable. The hands and faces of St. Bernadette still looked very lively, but it was because of wax. Under the wax, the skin was browned.

Although science has yet to explain why the body can be 'super-good' preserved without mummification or from any environment, scientists say the body will eventually decompose. , just a matter of time. Currently, St. Bernadette is displayed at St. Gildard Church in Nevers, France.