The Shroud Codex - Jerome R. Corsi [58]
“But these are not the only type of bloodstain we see on the Shroud, right?” Morelli asked, prompting Middagh to elaborate.
“Right,” Middagh answered, picking up the discussion. “As I mentioned, the blood on the Shroud also gives a positive test for serum albumin. Under ultraviolet fluorescence photography, the serum separation shows up as a lighter ring around a darker blood center, very typical of postmortem blood flows. The serum stains were not visible to the naked eye but were clearly seen in the ultraviolet fluorescence photography. So, the bloodstains tell a very complex story of the wounds suffered by the man in the Shroud in life, as well as the blood that drained from the body after death.”
“So far, I think I follow what you are saying,” Castle said.
“Just to be sure, let me recap,” Middagh responded, wanting to make sure the discussion was clear to everyone. “The evidence suggests that the crucified man was laid on the Shroud almost immediately after death. The blood flows suggest the man was placed in the Shroud without being washed clean or in any way embalmed or otherwise prepared for burial. We see the same evidence on the front and back images of the man in the Shroud. Remember, the Shroud wrapped over the man’s head to cover his front side. This accounts for the head-to-head images of the man’s front and backside we see on the Shroud’s approximately fourteen-foot full length.”
“Dr. Castle, as a physician, I’m sure you can appreciate what the presence of the hemoglobin and serum albumin on the Shroud mean,” Father Morelli said.
“I believe I’m following what’s been said so far,” Castle answered, “but why don’t you tell me what specifically you have in mind. I want to make sure I understand your point precisely.”
“Just this,” Morelli continued. “The blood evidence on the Shroud either means the image was imprinted on the linen of the Shroud by a body that had suffered the injuries we see, or by a forger who painted in blood and appreciated not only the anatomical nature of the wounds, but also the exact nature of the blood flow that would have resulted from crucifixion wounds while the victim was alive, as well as from the serum flow that would have continued even into death.”
“I don’t rule out an expert forger,” Castle said directly. Morelli had a point. “Many people in the Middle Ages were as brilliant as today, even if they lacked our modern technology.”
“The forger would have had to have been sufficiently brilliant to have painted onto the Shroud serum stains not visible to the naked eye, anticipating that in later centuries we would have and use the type of ultraviolet fluorescence technology we would need to check for serum in attempting to document the authenticity of the Shroud,” Morelli added.
“Are you saying Leonardo wasn’t that brilliant?” Castle countered.
“In Leonardo da Vinci’s day, the study of anatomy was pretty primitive and the understanding of blood composition and circulation was not well advanced,” Morelli responded.
Middagh interrupted this discussion to draw everyone’s attention to a point in the discussion he wanted to make sure no one missed. “There’s an important conclusion we can draw about the blood we find on the Shroud,” Middagh said. “The bloodstains that penetrate through the Shroud and show up on the backside of the Shroud are very different from how the body image formed on the Shroud. We know the blood and serum inhibited the image formation on the Shroud. The Shroud of Turin Research Team in 1978 had instruments that could detect parts per billion of any substance on the Shroud, and the scientists concluded there is no body image under the blood and serum stains. What this means is that the blood flows from life and the blood serum draining from the body after