François Carlo Antommarchi
François Carlo Antommarchi was born on the 5th of July 1780 in Morsiglia, Corsica. He began his medical studies in Livorno, Italy, before earning a Doctor of Philosophy and Medicine degree from the University of Pisa in March 1808. His education continued in Florence where he attached himself to the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova. This hospital held historical significance as Leonardo da Vinci had previously studied anatomy there. Antommarchi earned his diploma as Surgeon in 1812 from the Imperial University of Florence. He was appointed Prosector by the university president shortly after receiving his surgical credentials. On the 7th of July 1813, he began working under Paolo Mascagni, the most celebrated anatomist of that era. Mascagni left behind manuscripts and drawings for an intended publication of comprehensive human anatomy with life-size figures. Antommarchi prepared this publication while serving as Prosector until he was called away to Saint Helena.
Antommarchi received a letter of employment on the 19th of December 1818 to travel to Saint Helena. He took up the position at the behest of Napoleon's mother Maria Letizia Ramolino and his uncle Cardinal Joseph Fesch. The island served as the place of exile for Napoleon I following his defeat. Antommarchi replaced Dr Barry Edward O'Meara as Napoleon's personal physician because the captive would not accept other medical officers proposed by Sir Hudson Lowe. Napoleon dismissed Antommarchi from his service multiple times only to let him resume duty soon after. In the final moments of illness, Antommarchi was assisted by Dr Archibald Arnott. This assistance came at the pressing demands of two officers, Count Montholon and Grand-Marshal Bertrand. After Napoleon died in May 1821, Antommarchi wrote The Last Moments of Napoleon where he concluded the Emperor died of stomach cancer. He also created a plaster cast of Napoleon's face on the 7th of May 1821.
Antommarchi kept detailed records of his medical care for Napoleon during the final years of the Emperor's life. These records formed the basis for numerous books published between 1823 and 1826. The diary entries were translated into many languages including French, English, German, Italian, and Spanish. One volume titled The last days of the Emperor Napoleon appeared in 1825. Another work called Memoirs of the History of France During the Reign of Napoleon followed shortly after. A third publication named The last days of Napoleon: memoirs of the last two years of Napoleon's exile reached readers in 1826. These texts drew directly from his personal observations while serving as physician. The accounts described the physical decline of Napoleon over the course of his exile. They provided a first-hand perspective on the daily struggles faced by the captive ruler. No other source offers such intimate details about the final period of Napoleon's life.
Paolo Mascagni left manuscripts and drawings intended for a comprehensive complete anatomy with life-size figures. Antommarchi prepared the publication but was called to Saint Helena before completion. He took three copies of Mascagni's plates with him when he departed Florence. Upon returning, he published these plates printed from lithographs under his own name. The monumental work appeared from 1823 to 1826 under the title Planches anatomiques du corps humain exécutées d'après les dimensions naturelles. Antoine Seratoni likely drew and engraved the plates for this publication. A legal dispute between Antommarchi and the heirs of Mascagni regarding rights to the plates remained unresolved. This controversy cast a shadow over what should have been a collaborative triumph. The publication included natural dimensions accompanied by an explanatory text. It stands as one of the most significant contributions to anatomical illustration of the nineteenth century despite the lingering disputes.
It remains unclear whether the original cast for the death mask of Napoleon made by Antommarchi survived. Some accounts suggest that Dr Francis Burton took another cast which survived instead. Madame Bertrand is said to have stolen a large part of the cast taken by Burton and given it to Antommarchi. No unequivocal proof has ever settled this controversy regarding the authenticity of the masks. Possible motivations include fierce rivalry between British conquerors and French conquered parties. Profiteering and fame-seeking also played roles in the conflicting claims. A post-mortem cast of Bonaparte's right hand allegedly by Antommarchi sold and exhibited in museums. None of the persons present at Saint Helena when Napoleon died reported such a cast occurred. His servant Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis regretted in his memoirs that nobody had the idea to cast Napoleon's hands. The lack of definitive evidence means these questions may never be resolved.
Antommarchi traveled to Poland in 1831 where he became general inspector of Polish hospitals during the November Uprising. He assisted the Polish people in an uprising against Russian forces before fleeing to Paris to escape czarist troops. He then immigrated to Louisiana where he donated the bronze death mask of Napoleon to the people of New Orleans in 1834. Antommarchi lived briefly in Veracruz, Mexico, as an itinerant physician. He moved from Mexico and settled in Santiago de Cuba where he worked as a physician. There he privately taught anatomy and sculpting techniques. The move to Cuba was prompted by his search for cousin Antonio Juan Benjamin Antommarchi who made his fortune in coffee plantations. He became adept at performing surgery for the removal of cataracts. Antommarchi died in Cuba of yellow fever on the 3rd of April 1838 at age 57.
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Common questions
When was François Carlo Antommarchi born and where?
François Carlo Antommarchi was born on the 5th of July 1780 in Morsiglia, Corsica. He began his medical studies in Livorno, Italy, before earning a Doctor of Philosophy and Medicine degree from the University of Pisa in March 1808.
Why did François Carlo Antommarchi travel to Saint Helena in 1819?
Antommarchi received a letter of employment on the 19th of December 1818 to travel to Saint Helena at the behest of Napoleon's mother Maria Letizia Ramolino and his uncle Cardinal Joseph Fesch. The island served as the place of exile for Napoleon I following his defeat and he replaced Dr Barry Edward O'Meara as Napoleon's personal physician.
What cause of death did François Carlo Antommarchi conclude for Napoleon?
After Napoleon died in May 1821, Antommarchi wrote The Last Moments of Napoleon where he concluded the Emperor died of stomach cancer. He also created a plaster cast of Napoleon's face on the 7th of May 1821.
How did François Carlo Antommarchi contribute to anatomical illustration after working with Paolo Mascagni?
Antommarchi prepared the publication of comprehensive human anatomy with life-size figures but was called to Saint Helena before completion. Upon returning, he published these plates printed from lithographs under his own name between 1823 and 1826 under the title Planches anatomiques du corps humain exécutées d'après les dimensions naturelles.
Where did François Carlo Antommarchi die and what was the date?
François Carlo Antommarchi died in Cuba of yellow fever on the 3rd of April 1838 at age 57. He had moved to Santiago de Cuba where he worked as a physician and privately taught anatomy and sculpting techniques.