History under the Scalpel

2021 • 2 Seasons • Ended

"L'histoire au scalpel" (History under the Scalpel) is a French documentary series, notably broadcast on France 5 and Histoire TV, in which the forensic doctor and anthropologist Philippe Charlier uses modern scientific methods to investigate historical mysteries. By examining the relics and bodies of historical figures such as Napoleon, Louis XIII, Louis XIV, or Saint Louis, he seeks to elucidate the causes of their death, the diseases they suffered from, or to authenticate objects.

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Episodes

E1. Marat, Robespierre : les malades de la Révolution

Thanks to the latest scientific techniques, Philippe Charlier investigates the diseases/pathologies that afflicted Jean-Paul Marat and Maximilien Robe...

E2. Descartes, autopsie d'un génie

In a display case at the Musée de l'Homme, a skull covered with Latin inscriptions has rested since the 19th century. It is thought to be that of René...