Stephen Black wrote:
> error. This is on the strength of the following excerpt from S.
> Gaukroger (1995), _Descartes: an Intellectual Biography_
> (p.416-417), under the wonderful subtitle "Death and Dismemberment".
LOL!
> "In 1666 his remains were exhumed to be returned to France...The
> French ambassador was allowed to cut off the forefinger of his right
> hand...
I would have loved to have heard *that* conversation!
French Ambassador: "So... Can I have a finger off this 16 year old
corpse?"
Or I wonder if someone offered: "So... Monsieur French Ambassador, want
a souvenir?"
I bet the finger is in a shoebox somewhere in the basement of the old
French embassy in Stockholm. Sounds like a job for Geraldo Rivera.
"We're opening up the basement door now... We don't know what we'll
find..."
Let me see if I have this straight.
Descartes died in 1650.
Exhumed in 1666 to be moved to France (chapel of St. Paul) and moved to
the Abbey of St. Etienne-du-Mond on 24 July, 1667.
Moved again in 1792 to the Jardin Elysee des Monuments Francais.
Moved again in 1819 to St. Germain-des-Pres where he currently lies.
> I say it's time to dig him up once more.
I agree. He's been dead for 350 years, but hasn't been in the air for
180. Given all the moving around he has done, he has to miss it. :-)
There *must* be a university out there with a bored biologist just dying
(no pun intended) to do some DNA testing. Next February would be the
*perfect* time to do it -- on the anniversary of his death, 350 years
ago.
A little funding from APA Division 2, and we'll be all set. :-)
--
Sue Frantz [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Faculty Office Bldg, 2400 Scenic Drive Office: (505)439-3752
New Mexico State Univ. - Alamogordo Fax: (505)439-3802
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