Title |
Occupational markers and pathology of the castrato singer Gaspare Pacchierotti (1740–1821)
|
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Published in |
Scientific Reports, June 2016
|
DOI | 10.1038/srep28463 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Alberto Zanatta, Fabio Zampieri, Giuliano Scattolin, Maurizio Rippa Bonati |
Abstract |
Following the birth of modern opera in Italy in 1600, the demand for soprano voices grew up and the prepuberal castration was carried out to preserve the young male voice into adult life. Among the castrati, Gaspare Pacchierotti was probably one of the most famous. The remains of Pacchierotti were exhumed for the first time in 2013, for a research in the reconstruction of his biological profile, to understand the secrets behind his sublime voice and how the castration influenced the body. All the findings discovered, through anthropological and Computed Tomography analyses, are consistent both with the occupational markers of a singer and with the hormonal effects of castration. The erosion of cervical vertebrae, the insertion of respiratory muscles and muscles of the arms can be an effect of the bodily position and exercise during singing. The hormonal effect of castration were related to osteoporosis and to the disorders of spine. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 13 | 14% |
Spain | 5 | 5% |
Japan | 4 | 4% |
Canada | 3 | 3% |
United Kingdom | 3 | 3% |
Italy | 2 | 2% |
Mexico | 1 | 1% |
Australia | 1 | 1% |
Austria | 1 | 1% |
Other | 6 | 6% |
Unknown | 55 | 59% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 80 | 85% |
Scientists | 6 | 6% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 4 | 4% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 4 | 4% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Croatia | 1 | 3% |
United States | 1 | 3% |
Denmark | 1 | 3% |
Unknown | 30 | 91% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 21% |
Researcher | 6 | 18% |
Student > Bachelor | 3 | 9% |
Other | 2 | 6% |
Student > Master | 2 | 6% |
Other | 2 | 6% |
Unknown | 11 | 33% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Social Sciences | 6 | 18% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 5 | 15% |
Arts and Humanities | 4 | 12% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 3 | 9% |
Neuroscience | 2 | 6% |
Other | 2 | 6% |
Unknown | 11 | 33% |