Microbiological aspects of the examination of the 140-year-old embalmed body of N.I. Pirogov

Abstract

The body of N.I. Pirogov has been entombed in the Church of St. Nicolas in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, since 1881, when it was embalmed by Professor Vyvodtsev. During the re-embalming of the body of N.I. Pirogov in 2018, microbiological swabs from the body and its surroundings were taken and, among other things, skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle and bone tissues were taken for ultramicroscopic examination. Hyphae of fungi of the genus Penicillium citrinum were found at two sites during this examination. The occurrence of fungi can be explained by the already weakened immunity before death due to cancer, and its subsequent postmortem growth due to the non-use of formaldehyde and the placement of the body in a non-sterile and relatively humid environment of the tomb without regular control.