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Volume 6: Number 3: Article 2
Better Blood Through Chemistry: A Laboratory Replication of a Miracle
Michael Epstein, National Capital Area Skeptics, 8006 Valley Street,
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Luigi Garlaschelli, Department of Organic Chemistry, University
of Pavia, Via Taramelli 10, 27100 Pavia, Italy
The recent simulation of the miracle liquefying blood of Saint Januarius
is shown to be viable from both historical and scientific standpoints.
The history of the holy blood is traced and means and motivation for
the simulation are provided. Spectral analysis of the simulated blood,
a thixotropic gel of iron hydroxide (FeO(OH)), shows the absorption
spectrum to be similar to old blood. Many reported characteristics of
the holy blood can be explained by the behavior of a thixotropic gel.
Modifications of the preparation procedure are attempted to bring the
simulation into agreement with fourteenth century alchemical knowledge.
A critical evaluation of previous spectroscopic studies of the miracle
blood is presented.
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