title: Do we really need new medical information about the Turin Shroud?
abstract: Image processing of the Turin Shroud (TS) shows that the Man represented in it has undergone an under glenoidal dislocation of the humerus on the right side and lowering of the shoulder, and has a flattened hand and enophthalmos; conditions that have not been described before, despite several studies on the subject. These injuries indicate that the Man suffered a violent blunt trauma to the neck, chest and shoulder from behind, causing neuromuscular damage and lesions of the entire brachial plexus. The posture of the left claw-hand is indicative of an injury of the lower brachial plexus, as is the crossing of the hands on the pubis, not above the pubis as it would normally be, and are related to traction of the limbs as a result of the nailing to the patibulum. The disappearance of the thumbprints is because of entrainment of the flexor pollicis longus tendons while the nails were driven through the wrists. The blunt chest trauma, which resulted in the body falling forwards, was the direct cause of a lung contusion and haemothorax, confirmed by the post-mortem leakage of clots and serum from the chest caused by the stabbing with the spear, and was a likely cause of cardiac contusion. All the evidence is in favour of the hypothesis that the TS Man is Jesus of Nazareth.
authors.affiliation: Hospital-University of Padua, Italy. Electronic address: matteo.bevilacqua@alice.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bevilacqua
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Italy. Electronic address: giulio.fanti@unipd.it.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fanti
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Clinic, University of Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: michele.darienzo@unipa.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Arienzo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, University of Padua, Italy. Electronic address: raffaele.decaro@unipd.it.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Caro
mesh_terms: D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries; D002835:Christianity / Q000266:history; D003288:Contusions / Q000266:history; D005197:Famous Persons; D018732:Forensic Anthropology; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000266:history; D006491:Hemothorax / Q000266:history; D049690:History, Ancient; D006708:Homicide / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D008091:Literature / Q000266:history*; D055370:Lung Injury / Q000266:history; D008297:Male; D000070599:Shoulder Injuries; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000150:complications; D014754:Violence / Q000266:history*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000266:history
keywords: Enophthalmos; Hemothorax; Humerus dislocation; Trauma to the shoulder, neck and chest; Turin Shroud