Today’s Ducal Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
In France, Jean de Nevers, who had succeeded his father as Duke of Burgundy in 1404, turned assassin. In 1407 he employed a gang of toughs to murder his rival Louis d’Orléans in the streets of Paris. As Louis was returning to his hotel after dark, he was set upon by hired killers who cut off his left hand holding the reins, dragged him from his mule, hacked him to death with swords, axes and wooden clubs, and left his body in the gutter while his mounted escort, which never seems to have been much use on these occasions, fled.
Protected from penalty by his ducal power, “John the Fearless” publicly defended his act, through a spokesman, as justifiable tyrannicide, charging Louis with vice, corruption, sorcery, and a long list of public and private villainies.
Culled from: A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
Don’t you wish we could get away with “justiable tyrannicide”? I have a list of potential victims ready.
Thug Life: Jean de Nevers style.
Ghastly: Bulging Edition
he Dr. Ikkaku Ochi Collection is a fascinating collection of medical photographs from the late 19th and early 20th century that had been collected by Dr. Ikkaku Ochi in Japan and was found in a box many years later. There was no detailed information available for most of the photos, but the images are compelling because they show these composed portraits of people suffering through intense pain caused by conditions that in most cases would be resolved through treatment today. There’s a sense of overwhelming sadness that comes through in these pictures, but also dignity and strength. I find them compelling and I thought I’d share photos from the book occasionally.
Here’s a stoic young man who appears to be suffering from a tumor. Any other ideas?
How about elephantiasis?