Scientists find the body of a five-month old foetus hidden in the coffin of a Swedish Bishop

Scans show a human foetus deliberately concealed in a coffin after resting for nearly 350 years

Scientists find the body of a five-month old foetus hidden in the coffin of a Swedish Bishop

After being laid to rest more than three centuries ago, scientists have discovered the coffin of Swedish Bishop Peter Winstrup concealed a five-month old human foetus.

The unexpected discovery was made after CT scans on the mummified body of Peter Winstrup, which is considered to be one of the best-preserved bodies from the 17th century.

The foetus was deliberately concealed under Winstrup’s feet at the bottom of his coffin; and scientists are trying to establish if they were related.

Doctors have used the scans to build a vast medical journal of the Swedish Bishop. “He had arthritis in most of his limbs, probably tuberculosis, plaque in his veins and his gallbladder is filled with stones”.

Winstrup has been described as ‘a renaissance man’, not only acting as a bishop but also as a skilled scientist and architect.