The Shroud of Turin

1
The Shroud of Turin

• Exploring the Mystery
• Confronting the Controversy

2
McCrone

• Image is from iron oxide pigments composing red
  ocher paint suspended in an animal protein binder
• Blood is from vermilionnot blood
• The obvious work of an artist

3
Battle of the Chemists Whose science is better?

• Dr Alan Adler, Professor of physical and organic
  chemistry, U. of Penn,
• Western Connecticut State University
• Worlds leading blood porphyrin expert
• Dr John Heller, Professor of internal medicine
  and medical physics
• Yale University, New England Inst.
• Both are blood chemistry specialists

4
The Chemistry Controversy

• In light of our chemical findings, we disagree
  with these (McCrones) conclusions.
• We find his conclusion to be inconsistent with
  the chemical picture presented. One of the few
  causes of the body image that CAN be ruled out is
  a painting.

5
Adler and Heller Summarized

• Twenty two (22) samples analyzed
• Six--blood image
• Two--body image adjacent to blood marks
• Two--body image only
• Three--water stain/body image
• One --non-image
• Four--waterstain/non-image
• Two--scorch
• Two--backing cloth

6
Procedures

• Polarized studies were carried out on specimens
  only after their removal from the tape and
  adhering adhesive to prevent misinterpretation
  due to the optical properties of the tape
  itself.

7
Controls

• Spanish linen--circa 1700 AD
• Coptic linen--circa 350 AD
• Pharaoh era linen--circa 1500 BC

8
Incidental Debris

• Insect parts, pollen, spores, wax, modern
  synthetic fibers, red and blue silk, wool
• Red and blue silk fibers are on every
  sample--probably from the backing cloths and
  borders.
• Demonstrates transposition of materials from
  folding and unfolding of cloth

9
Question

• Does one particle of vermilion really prove
  anything?

10
Microscopic Characteristics

• At 50X magnification--image is due to yellowed
  fibrils
• At 1000X--two types of red particles are
  occasionally present on the fibrils
• Iron oxide and the Shroud image have different
  spectral characteristics
• Iron oxide particles do not account for yellow
  image

11
More on Iron Oxide

• X-rays show iron oxide highly concentrated in the
  water stain and charred areas
• X-rays do not show significant concentration on
  the body image areas
• If present, it does not demonstrate the density
  required for the image to appear to the unaided
  eye
• Image is not due to inorganic pigments

12
Organic Pigments?

• Many organic pigments fluoresce under UV
• The body images are non-fluorescing
• Using all known organic solvents, the body image
  color cannot be extracted
• We conclude that no material has been added
• to these yellowed fibrils to produce the color

13
The Body Image

• Fibrils appear uncoated
• Body image fibrils test negative for protein to
  nanogram level--no binder present
• Corroded fibril surfaces typical of cellulose
  degradation from oxidation
• Same effect demonstrated on control samples using
  heat

14
Similar chemistry to a light scorch

• Physical and spectral properties of the image
  that can
• be replicated with control samples
• Corroded appearance of fibrils
• Lower tensile strength of image fibrils
• Thermally stable
• NOT water soluble
• Yellowing due to oxidation/dehydration
• No matting of fibers

15
Blood Images

• Major blood areas
• Wounds--wrist, side
• Blood flows--small of back
• Scourge marks from torso and leg
• Blood flows on top and back of head

16
Characteristics

• Fibrils in blood areas cemented together
• Appears as matting even in thin fluid areas
• No image visible in thin serum areas indicating
  that such fibrils were sealed and therefore
  protected from the advanced decomposition reaction

17
Control Samples

• Partially clotted blood applied to linen
• Left to dry for eighteen months
• Samples removed by sticky tape
• Same general appearance as Shroud blood samples

18
Blood Chemistry

• Red coated fibrils test positive for heme
  materials and proteins
• Thin blood areas test positive for serum albumin
• Proteins found only in blood areas--not in image
  areas--no organic binder present

19
Red Particles

• Red coated fibrils dissolve in protease solution
  indicating blood components
• Iron oxide particles--found mostly in water stain
  areas--do not dissolve
• Iron oxide particles are different from blood
  particles with no evidence of being suspended in
  a paint binder

20
Iron Particles

• Three kinds found
• Cellulose bound iron--chelated all over cloth
  from retting of the flax
• Heme bound particles--from blood
• Iron oxide--mostly found in water stain margins
  and charred blood areas

21
Why Iron Oxide?

• From charred blood?
• From the retting of flax?
• Iron oxide present is 99 pure
• Same as control samples
• Lack of contaminants is inconsistent with claim
  of being a medieval painting
• Medieval paints usually contain manganese, nickel
  or cobalt above 1 level

22
Random Particles

• At least 52 painted copies of the Shroud have
  been touched to the cloth to achieve
  sanctification of the paintinglike signing a
  baseball card.
• Experiments have shown that paint particles will
  dislodge from the painted copy and get
  distributed onto the Shroud.
• What does one particle of vermilion prove?

23
Summary

• We see no evidence for stains or dyes on the
  body image fibrils at levels that would be
  evident to the eye.
• To conclude that any of the images were produced
  by the application of such pigments, they must be
  shown to be predominantly present and in the
  appropriate locations.

24
Last Word on McCrone

• McCrone sees at trace levels far below the
  limits that would provide a visually detectable
  color evident to the eye. This is entirely
  consistent with contamination due to the artists
  who have copied the Shroud