A unique “solidified” human brain from Asunción (XX century CE, Paraguay)

A relic (from the Lati n reliquia e : remains) is th e body (o r part ) of a deceased holy pe rso n or belongings kept as an object of re verence . Th e long -term preservation of relics is a pr iorit y fo r many religiou s an d se c ula r co mmunities an d ofte n anthropo l ogists, involved in thei r restor ation fo r co nse r v ative pu rposes, co llect anthropolo g ica l an d paleopatholo g ica l data of sc ientifi c inte rest. In this co ntext , th e Author s pr esent th e case of Blesse d Mari a Felici a Gu ggiar i Eche verri a (192 5 –1959), th e most revere d Catholic fi gur e in Paraguay , whos e remain s co nsist of a co m - plet e an d well pr eserved skel eton, fragment s of adipocere, an d co mplet e “ soli d ified ” brai n an d cerebe llum. Th e brai n an d th e cerebe llu m have a reduce d vo lum e of abou t 85 cm 3 , an d a hard an d fr iable co nsi stency. Micr o - scopic anal yse s have show n th e presence of stil l di sti nguis hable hi stolo g ica l stru cture s (e.g . th e stra t ification of th e cerebral co rtex, meninges , resi dua l ve ssels , an d prob abl e nerv e bu ndles). Micr oanal ysi s showed th e presence of un iformly di stributed ca rbo n (C), ox yge n (O ) an d othe r chem ica l el ement s (e.g . Na , Ca , Mg , K) variably di s - tributed . Th e FTIR anal ysi s highlighte d th e presence of pr oteins. Th e brai n prob abl y unde rwent a proces s of ca r - bonization , whic h involves a redu ction in vo lum e du e to loss of O an d H an d th e co nsequen t co nce ntr ation of C in lo w -oxygen co nditions. Th e presence of adipocere, whic h is formed in enviro nme nta l co ndition s si m ila r to thos e of ca rbonization , su pport s this hypoth esis. Th e “ s oli d ified ” brai n of Blesse d Mari a Felici a Gu ggiar i Eche verri a (192 5 –1959 ) re present s toda y a unique case .