It’s not October yet, but it’s my birthday and I always feel like that is the start of spooky season for me ☠️ “Vampire Burials”: The first 3 images are of a child burial excavated last month in Pień near Poland’s northern city of Bydgoszcz, in what seems to have been a graveyard for “abandoned souls” and the poor. The 400 year old skeleton of a child (aged 5-7 years old) has a triangular padlock on its feet to stop it rising from the dead and is facing downwards to ensure that “if it bites” it bites the soil in the grave. It’s shockingly sad because the first thing I thought was “what could a child of 5-7 years of age possibly do to make people think it’s cursed in some way, and might rise from the dead”? Archaeologists and historians say sudden death seemed “suspicious” back then and could account for this fear; or perhaps if the child had a physical abnormality. Either way it seems horrendous that an afflicted child would be buried like this rather than in the graveyard attached to the church. The second 3 pics are of a woman found last year only a few feet away from this child in the same graveyard. Also believed to be a “vampire” burial she had a scythe placed over her neck. The idea is that if she rose from the dead the scythe would cut her head off. You can see the placement of the scythe in the pics: very inventive #spookyseason #vampireburial #vampireskeleton
It’s not October yet, but it’s my birthday and I always feel like that is the start of spooky season for me ☠️ “Vampire Burials”: The first 3 images are of a child burial excavated last month in Pień near Poland’s northern city of Bydgoszcz, in what seems to have been a graveyard for “abandoned souls” and the poor. The 400 year old skeleton of a child (aged 5-7 years old) has a triangular padlock on its feet to stop it rising from the dead and is facing downwards to ensure that “if it bites” it bites the soil in the grave. It’s shockingly sad because the first thing I thought was “what could a child of 5-7 years of age possibly do to make people think it’s cursed in some way, and might rise from the dead”? Archaeologists and historians say sudden death seemed “suspicious” back then and could account for this fear; or perhaps if the child had a physical abnormality. Either way it seems horrendous that an afflicted child would be buried like this rather than in the graveyard attached to the church. The second 3 pics are of a woman found last year only a few feet away from this child in the same graveyard. Also believed to be a “vampire” burial she had a scythe placed over her neck. The idea is that if she rose from the dead the scythe would cut her head off. You can see the placement of the scythe in the pics: very inventive #spookyseason #vampireburial #vampireskeleton
It’s not October yet, but it’s my birthday and I always feel like that is the start of spooky season for me ☠️ “Vampire Burials”: The first 3 images are of a child burial excavated last month in Pień near Poland’s northern city of Bydgoszcz, in what seems to have been a graveyard for “abandoned souls” and the poor. The 400 year old skeleton of a child (aged 5-7 years old) has a triangular padlock on its feet to stop it rising from the dead and is facing downwards to ensure that “if it bites” it bites the soil in the grave. It’s shockingly sad because the first thing I thought was “what could a child of 5-7 years of age possibly do to make people think it’s cursed in some way, and might rise from the dead”? Archaeologists and historians say sudden death seemed “suspicious” back then and could account for this fear; or perhaps if the child had a physical abnormality. Either way it seems horrendous that an afflicted child would be buried like this rather than in the graveyard attached to the church. The second 3 pics are of a woman found last year only a few feet away from this child in the same graveyard. Also believed to be a “vampire” burial she had a scythe placed over her neck. The idea is that if she rose from the dead the scythe would cut her head off. You can see the placement of the scythe in the pics: very inventive #spookyseason #vampireburial #vampireskeleton
It’s not October yet, but it’s my birthday and I always feel like that is the start of spooky season for me ☠️ “Vampire Burials”: The first 3 images are of a child burial excavated last month in Pień near Poland’s northern city of Bydgoszcz, in what seems to have been a graveyard for “abandoned souls” and the poor. The 400 year old skeleton of a child (aged 5-7 years old) has a triangular padlock on its feet to stop it rising from the dead and is facing downwards to ensure that “if it bites” it bites the soil in the grave. It’s shockingly sad because the first thing I thought was “what could a child of 5-7 years of age possibly do to make people think it’s cursed in some way, and might rise from the dead”? Archaeologists and historians say sudden death seemed “suspicious” back then and could account for this fear; or perhaps if the child had a physical abnormality. Either way it seems horrendous that an afflicted child would be buried like this rather than in the graveyard attached to the church. The second 3 pics are of a woman found last year only a few feet away from this child in the same graveyard. Also believed to be a “vampire” burial she had a scythe placed over her neck. The idea is that if she rose from the dead the scythe would cut her head off. You can see the placement of the scythe in the pics: very inventive #spookyseason #vampireburial #vampireskeleton
It’s not October yet, but it’s my birthday and I always feel like that is the start of spooky season for me ☠️ “Vampire Burials”: The first 3 images are of a child burial excavated last month in Pień near Poland’s northern city of Bydgoszcz, in what seems to have been a graveyard for “abandoned souls” and the poor. The 400 year old skeleton of a child (aged 5-7 years old) has a triangular padlock on its feet to stop it rising from the dead and is facing downwards to ensure that “if it bites” it bites the soil in the grave. It’s shockingly sad because the first thing I thought was “what could a child of 5-7 years of age possibly do to make people think it’s cursed in some way, and might rise from the dead”? Archaeologists and historians say sudden death seemed “suspicious” back then and could account for this fear; or perhaps if the child had a physical abnormality. Either way it seems horrendous that an afflicted child would be buried like this rather than in the graveyard attached to the church. The second 3 pics are of a woman found last year only a few feet away from this child in the same graveyard. Also believed to be a “vampire” burial she had a scythe placed over her neck. The idea is that if she rose from the dead the scythe would cut her head off. You can see the placement of the scythe in the pics: very inventive #spookyseason #vampireburial #vampireskeleton
It’s not October yet, but it’s my birthday and I always feel like that is the start of spooky season for me ☠️ “Vampire Burials”: The first 3 images are of a child burial excavated last month in Pień near Poland’s northern city of Bydgoszcz, in what seems to have been a graveyard for “abandoned souls” and the poor. The 400 year old skeleton of a child (aged 5-7 years old) has a triangular padlock on its feet to stop it rising from the dead and is facing downwards to ensure that “if it bites” it bites the soil in the grave. It’s shockingly sad because the first thing I thought was “what could a child of 5-7 years of age possibly do to make people think it’s cursed in some way, and might rise from the dead”? Archaeologists and historians say sudden death seemed “suspicious” back then and could account for this fear; or perhaps if the child had a physical abnormality. Either way it seems horrendous that an afflicted child would be buried like this rather than in the graveyard attached to the church. The second 3 pics are of a woman found last year only a few feet away from this child in the same graveyard. Also believed to be a “vampire” burial she had a scythe placed over her neck. The idea is that if she rose from the dead the scythe would cut her head off. You can see the placement of the scythe in the pics: very inventive #spookyseason #vampireburial #vampireskeleton
The ‘Carlaween’ countdown continues with the Guanajuato mummies of Mexico which are famous for looking as though they were buried alive. These are naturally mummified bodies interred during a cholera outbreak in Guanajuato, Mexico, 1833. Natural mummification can occur in dry and hot environments. Between the years of 1870 and 1958 the dehydrated deceased were disinterred. Many of the mummies appear to have hideous facial expressions – as though they’d been buried alive. The theory is that because many of the bodies were buried *immediately* to control the spread of cholera, in some cases the dying may have been buried alive by accident… The facial expressions could be post-mortem artefacts but one case stands out as being particularly horrible: according to accounts, one of the mummies who was buried alive was Ignacia Aguilar. She suffered from a rare sickness that made her heart appear to stop on several occasions (catalepsy). During one of these incidents, her heart stopped for “more than a day”. Thinking she had died, her relatives decided to bury her. When her body was disinterred, it was noticed that she was facing down, biting her arm, and that there was a lot of blood in her mouth. The mummies are currently displayed in a museum called El Museo de las Momias (“The Museum of the Mummies”). As of 2007, 59 mummies were on display, of a collection that totals 111. #humanremains #mummies #fridayfright #carlaween #buriedalive #mummification #naturalmummification #halloween #guanajuato #mexico #diadelosmuertos
Life After Death…. Ahead of his time (that’s not a pun – I’ve just noticed his head between his feet 🤦) Jeremy Bentham, born in London in 1748, devised the doctrine of utilitarianism, arguing that the ‘greatest happiness of the greatest number is the only right and proper end of government’. He was a major thinker in the fields of legal philosophy and representative democracy, and originated modern ideas of surveillance through his scheme for a prison called the Panopticon. He supported the idea of equal opportunity in education and his ideas contributed to the foundation of a major university here – University College London – the first institution in England to admit students of any race, class or religion and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men. Bentham’s ideas have tremendous relevance to contemporary society; engaging with his thinking helps us to understand better the world we live in today. Bentham was so progressive that when he died in 1832 he left his body to medical science (mostly organs and skin). He also requested that his skeleton be preserved and this ‘Auto-Icon’ as Bentham called it, pictured, was gifted to University College London in 1850 by Bentham’s surgeon. Today Bentham is displayed in UCL’s South Cloisters dressed in his own clothes and sitting in his chair. As you can see from this picture, the head of the auto-icon is a model made from wax with glass eyes because the process of dessicating his real head went quite badly. You can see it between his feet though…! Now, the head has been moved to the Strong Room of the records department and can only be seen by special request. Many people have speculated as to exactly why Bentham chose to have his body preserved in this way, but whatever his true motives, the Auto-Icon will always be a source of fascination and debate, and will serve as a perpetual reminder of the man whose ideals inspired the institution in which it stands. #carlaween #halloweencountdown #halloween #humanremains #severedhead #skeleton #autoicon #jeremybentham #equality #equalopportunity #progressive #remains2beseen #london
☠️ Skeletons are a classic Halloween decoration so why not watch the TV show I filmed a couple of years ago with @toriherridge and @raksha_digs? It’s ‘Bone Detectives: Britain’s Buried Secrets’ which originally aired on Channel 4, but I’ve noticed it’s actually being shown at the moment on 4HD. It was so interesting filming this, although it was *exhausting* too because Caleb was only a few months old at the time. There were some fascinating cases involving unusual diseases, suspicious death circumstances and much, much more…☠️ #carlaweencountdown #carlaween #halloween #halloweencountdown #bonedetectives #archaeology #anthropology #osteology #skeletons #britainsburiedsecrets
Thanks to @officialagathachristie and @everymancinema for treating us like royalty at last night’s preview screening of the new Poirot film “A Haunting in Venice”. It’s a great film for this time of year, and it *really* made me want to return to Venice! Bucket list item for me is to travel to Venice on the Orient Express… better start saving… 🔍 The Everyman cinema in Crystal Palace was an absolutely STUNNING venue and I cannot believe I haven’t been before. It’s decorated in a lush modern style that was very reminiscent of Art Deco. Hercule Poirot would definitely approve 🔎 #ahauntinginvenice #herculepoirot #poirot #agathachristie #halloweenparty #kennethbranagh #venice #orientexpress #artdeco
🎃 The “Carlaween Countdown” begins! 🧠 It’s October, which means spooky season is here, and we can celebrate by learning about all manner of interesting human remains & pathology with a “spooky” twist (think vampire burials, modern day Frankenstein’s monsters, medical origins of the werewolf myth and more). Let’s start with this piece: “Halloween on the Brain” by Suedetess on DeviantArt, which I think has been created using a brain from the Hunterian Museum in London (which has just been renovated). I just love this, and I love kicking off the Halloween season with it. Tag a friend who enjoys Halloween as much as we do because there is a fascinating month of posts coming! #humanremains #carlaween #carlaweencountdown #pastmortems #specimens #anatomy #pathology #wetspecimen #halloween #conservation #medicalmuseum #pathologymuseum #anatomymuseum #histmed #conservator #halloweencountdown #postmortem #autopsies #autopsytechnician
🎃 The “Carlaween Countdown” begins! 🧠 It’s October, which means spooky season is here, and we can celebrate by learning about all manner of interesting human remains & pathology with a “spooky” twist (think vampire burials, modern day Frankenstein’s monsters, medical origins of the werewolf myth and more). Let’s start with this piece: “Halloween on the Brain” by Suedetess on DeviantArt, which I think has been created using a brain from the Hunterian Museum in London (which has just been renovated). I just love this, and I love kicking off the Halloween season with it. Tag a friend who enjoys Halloween as much as we do because there is a fascinating month of posts coming! #humanremains #carlaween #carlaweencountdown #pastmortems #specimens #anatomy #pathology #wetspecimen #halloween #conservation #medicalmuseum #pathologymuseum #anatomymuseum #histmed #conservator #halloweencountdown #postmortem #autopsies #autopsytechnician
🎃 The “Carlaween Countdown” begins! 🧠 It’s October, which means spooky season is here, and we can celebrate by learning about all manner of interesting human remains & pathology with a “spooky” twist (think vampire burials, modern day Frankenstein’s monsters, medical origins of the werewolf myth and more). Let’s start with this piece: “Halloween on the Brain” by Suedetess on DeviantArt, which I think has been created using a brain from the Hunterian Museum in London (which has just been renovated). I just love this, and I love kicking off the Halloween season with it. Tag a friend who enjoys Halloween as much as we do because there is a fascinating month of posts coming! #humanremains #carlaween #carlaweencountdown #pastmortems #specimens #anatomy #pathology #wetspecimen #halloween #conservation #medicalmuseum #pathologymuseum #anatomymuseum #histmed #conservator #halloweencountdown #postmortem #autopsies #autopsytechnician
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Look at this amazing ‘Forensic Science’ book bag by @witchwoodbags, one of many ‘death’ themed items I have for sale on Depop. On Depop I’m “formaldeheidi” and I’d be so grateful if you could help me declutter. Link: depop.com/formaldeheidi I have Point Horror, Disturbia, Killstar, Mary Wyatt London, and designer items by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Free People etc. Lots of bits that are good for Halloween 🎃 #pointhorror #disturbia #killstar #forensicscience #halloween
Every year I do “Carlaween”; a Halloween countdown of ‘Medical Marvels’ which consists of medical issues which may have given rise to monster myths, such as hypertrichosis (excess hair) leading to the idea of the werewolf, or new medical phenomena like the ‘Ghost Heart’ pictured, or body parts being grown in a lab rather than dug up and sewn together…a modern “Frankenstein” story. If you love Halloween you don’t want to miss it! Thanks for your never-ending love and support. Tell your friends about CARLAWEEN!!!! 🧙🎃🧟☠️ #halloween #halloween2023 #carlaween #halloweenmedicalmarvels #halloweencountdown