Scientific analysis of a calcified object from a post-medieval burial in Vienna, Austria.

Calcifications commonly occur in association with soft tissue inflammation. However, they are not often discussed in palaeopathological literature, frequently due to problems of identification and diagnosis. We present a calcified object (40×27×27cm) found with a middle-aged male from a post-medieval cemetery in Vienna. It was not recognized during excavation, thus its anatomical location within the body remains unknown. The object was subject to X-ray, SEM and CT scanning and compared to historic pathological objects held in the collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna. Two of closest resemblance, a thyroid adenoma and goitre were subject to similar analytical techniques for comparison. Despite similarities between all objects, the structure of the object most closely conforms to a thyroid tumor. Nevertheless, due to similar pathophysiological pathways and biochemical composition of calcified soft tissue, a secure identification outside of its anatomical context is not possible. The research further highlights the fact that recognition of such objects during excavation is crucial for a more conclusive diagnosis. Historic medical records indicate that they were common and might therefore be expected to frequently occur in cemeteries. Consequently, an increasing the dataset of calcifications would also aid in extending the knowledge about diseases in past human populations.

[Electropathology in Vienna, an exhibition on accident prevention]. / Die Elektropathologie in Wien - eine Sammlung zur Unfallverhütung.

Since 1906, there is, apart from the period 2000-2009, in Vienna, a collection about the processes and consequences of accidents involving electricity. The purpose of this collection is to raise awareness of the dangers, and the presentation of appropriate safety devices. Both in the case of industrial accidents and leisure accidents, the risk source of electrical power is not negligible. Due to the different vulnerable groups, the availability of prevention work is difficult. The concept of the electro-pathological collection in Vienna has taken this into account.

[Karl Alfons Portele, Pathologist and first director of the Federal Pathologic-anatomical Museum Vienna]. / Karl Alfons Portele, Pathologe und erster Direktor des Pathologisch-anatomischen Bundesmuseums in Wien.

The importance of the work of Karl Alfons Portele (1912-1993) in his position as director of the Federal Museum of Pathology is discussed. Portele was commissioned with the museum in 1946 and separated it from university in 1974. The history of the Pathologic-anatomical Museum in Vienna is closely connected with the history of pathology.

[Lorenz Biermayer and the developement of the Pathologic-anatomical Collection in the Fools Tower]. / Lorenz Biermayer und die Entstehung der Pathologisch-anatomischen Sammlung im Wiener Narrenturm.

The history of the Pathologic-anatomical Collection in the Fools Tower dates back to the eighteenth century. After a brief summery of the events leading to the creation of the museum, the life and work of Lorenz Biermayer (1778-1843) is examined. The first autopsy records from 1817 can be traced back to him and he was an important figure in the founding of the medical collection which still exists today. His period of office (1812-1829), especially the museum catalog and its publications started by him, are described. Finally, all of Biermayer's successors are briefly outlined.

[Autopsy records in Vienna since Lorenz Biermayer--a complete documentation of 195 years]. / Obduktionsbefunde in Wien seit Lorenz Biermayer - eine durchgehende 195jährige Dokumentation.

Vienna has a long tradition of clinical autopsies. In the period from 1817 to 2012 there are over 300,000 autopsies documented in the Vienna General Hospital. From five other community hospitals with departments for pathology and some closed hospitals, autopsy reports exist since 1865. Until the nineteenth century the reports are written in Kurrent, then Latin script and since the 1920s they are stored as machine written copies. This incredible high number of preserved reports was only possible because of the tradition started by Rokitansky and the possibility of storing this large amount of records in the Pathologic anatomical collection in the Narrenturm, the Vienna Municipal Archives and various hospitals. The aim of this study was to create a documentary of the repositories of the autopsy records, to make the records available and easier accessible for different kinds of research. The autopsy records should be easier to find and access, be it for the use in statistics or other scientific projects.

Comparison of protocols for DNA extraction from long-term preserved formalin fixed tissues.

The current study compared the applicability of protocols to extract DNA from formalin fixed heart tissues that have been preserved for more than 50 years. Ten methods were tested: a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) standard protocol, seven variants of this standard protocol, and two commercial kits. In the case of younger specimens (fixed in 1951, 1934, or 1914), extracts with DNA concentrations ≥ 10.0 ng/µl were obtained with the standard CTAB protocol, two variants of the standard protocol including prolonged tissue digestion (72 h instead of 1-2h), and a commercial kit particularly recommended for DNA extraction from formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues (FFPE Kit). With the FFPE Kit, DNA could also be extracted from older tissues (fixed in 1893, 1850/1851, or before 1820). In general, the purity of the DNA extracts, assessed from the ratio of the absorbance at 260 and 280 nm, was not very high. In spite of their rather low purity, the DNA extracts could, however, be used to amplify a 122-bp sequence and, in most cases, also a 171-bp sequence of the gene coding for human albumin by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

[Variola: the history of a museal present plague]. / Variola: zur Geschichte einer museal präsenten Seuche.

Smallpox, once a major menace of humankind, is the only endemic anthroponosis that has completely disappeared due to organized human action. The history of variola and of the rationales of prevention and control associated with ancient variolation, modern vaccination and the surrounding research enterprises and sanitary regimes provide paradigmatic examples of the involvement of medical thought and scientific dynamics with natural and cultural necessities and technological evolution. Taking the form of a broad historiographic sketch this is discussed not only based on representative literature, but contemplating material relics of the medical endeavor with smallpox. The objects are maintained by the Austrian Federal Museum of Pathological Anatomy, located in the unique historic building known as Narrenturm or Fool's Tower in Vienna's traditional medical district. They range from textual documents to wet specimens recently reactivated for virological research. Special focus lies on waxen moulages, crafted in the context of early 20th century clinical research and teaching.

History of individuals of the 18th/19th centuries stored in bones, teeth, and hair analyzed by LA-ICP-MS--a step in attempts to confirm the authenticity of Mozart's skull.

A cranium stored in the Stiftung Mozarteum in Salzburg/Austria which is believed to be that of Mozart, and skeletal remains of suspected relatives which have been excavated from the Mozart family grave in the cemetery in Salzburg, have been subjected to scientific investigations to determine whether or not the skull is authentic. A film project by the Austrian television ORF in collaboration with Interspot Film on this issue was broadcast at the beginning of the "Mozart year 2006". DNA analysis could not clarify relationships among the remains and, therefore, assignment of the samples was not really possible. In our work this skull and excavated skeletal remains have been quantified for Pb, Cr, Hg, As, and Sb content by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to obtain information about the living conditions of these individuals. A small splinter of enamel (less than 1 mm(3)) from a tooth of the "Mozart cranium" was also available for investigation. Quantification was performed by using spiked hydroxyapatite standards. Single hair samples which are recorded to originate from Mozart have also been investigated by LA-ICP-MS and compared with hair samples of contemporary citizens stored in the Federal Pathologic-Anatomical Museum, Vienna. In general, Pb concentrations up to approximately 16 mug g(-1) were found in the bone samples of 18th century individuals (a factor of 7 to 8 higher than in recent samples) reflecting elevated Pb levels in food or beverages. Elevated Pb levels were also found in hair samples. The amount of Sb in the enamel sample of the "Mozart cranium" (approx. 3 mug g(-1)) was significantly higher than in all the other tooth samples investigated, indicating possible Sb ingestion in early childhood. Elevated concentrations of elements in single hair samples gave additional information about possible exposure of the individuals to heavy metals at a particular point in their life.

["The devil of Korneuburg"]. / "Der Teufel von Korneuburg".

In 1827 in Korneuburg, a small town near Vienna, an unmarried servant had gone to church during pregnancy, praying in front of the statue of Saint Michael and looking at the devil's figure attached to the statue. In the 6th month of pregnancy, the servant was delivered of a malformed stillbirth. The Pathologist believed in a correlation between her experience in the church and the malformation of the child. This article deals with the oldest specimen with developmental anencephaly, a special form of acrania (protruding eyes, prominent nose and long arms) from the Pathological-Anatomical Museum in Vienna.