A jar containing two of Galileo’s missing fingers has been located. The jar containing the digits has been missing for more than a century. An individual purchased them at auction and delivered them to the Museum of the History of Science in Florence, Italy. The two fingers will join a third finger (image below) and a tooth that were removed from Galileo’s corpse in 1737.
The museum plans to display the fingers and tooth in March 2010, after it re-opens following a renovation, Galluzzi said.The museum has had the third Galileo finger since 1927, so the digits will be reunited for the first time in centuries, he added.
Removing body parts from the corpse was an echo of a practice common with saints, whose digits, tongues and organs were revered by Catholics as relics with sacred powers.
“Galileo’s missing fingers found in jar”