History under the Scalpel (2021)
"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.
📺 Seasons & Episodes
Season 12 episodes
1. 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 Robespierre before their deaths
2. 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 Descartes. Separated and preserved apart upon the French philosopher's death, this skull, which became a relic, would pass from hand to hand over the centuries. Will Philippe Charlier succeed in authenticating it thanks to the innovative techniques used in forensic medicine?
Season 23 episodes
1. Napoléon à Sainte-Hélène : le dernier acte
⏱ —On May 5, 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte passed away at the age of 51, after five years of exile on the island of St. Helena. More than 200 years later, Philippe Charlier reopens one of history's most famous 'cold cases,' a unique investigation into the Emperor's final moments, to try and uncover the mysteries surrounding the circumstances of his death. Was Napoleon poisoned with arsenic by his English jailers? Under what conditions did the autopsy take place—
2. Maréchal Ney, le mystère américain
⏱ —Marshal Ney, the American Mystery The forensic pathologist and anthropologist Philippe Charlier tackles a legend surrounding one of the most famous and flamboyant figures of the First Empire: Marshal Ney, nicknamed 'the bravest of the brave' by Napoleon. Officially, his body rests in a mausoleum in Père Lachaise after he was executed by firing squad in 1815, at the age of 46. The only small, yet major, problem is that there is another tomb in his name in a cemetery in North Carolina—
3. L'étrange histoire des coeurs des rois
⏱ —The Strange History of the Kings' Hearts Philippe Charlier, forensic pathologist and anthropologist, investigates two of the most important kings in the history of France: Louis XIII and Louis XIV, father and son, the first known as 'The Just' and the second, 'the Sun King.' After consulting exceptional archives and specialists, the doctor establishes the health records of the two monarchs and turns his attention to the mysteries of the two sovereigns' remains. To determine the causes of their death
