Nicolae Minovici

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Illustration of Nicolae Minovici on a Romanian postage stamp

Nicolae Minovici (born October 23, 1868 in Râmnicu Sărat , † June 26, 1941 in Bucharest ) was a Romanian forensic scientist and criminologist who researched significant findings about the effectiveness of hanging in a series of self- experiments .

Life

After studying for a year at the Art School in Bucharest , he switched to forensic medicine and forensics , where he and his brother Mina Minovici did pioneering work. The two brothers led z. B. basic examinations to identify criminals based on physical features such as fingerprints through. In 1898 Minovici received his doctorate on the subject of " Tattoos in Romania". In this work he showed, among other things, that contrary to the prevailing opinion at the time, tattoos do not necessarily indicate a criminal personality. From 1899 to 1901, Minovici worked in Berlin , at the Berlin Pathological Institute and in Moabit Hospital .

Minovici's best-known work deals with hanging . In his treatise, published in 1904, he describes in detail the effects of hanging on humans, which he and his assistants had scientifically determined in a series of drastic self-experiments. They first simulated the state of hanging by interrupting the blood supply to the neck with their fingers. Later, Minovici let himself be hung in a loop in a lying position so that his entire body weight did not strain his neck. In the end, however, he also let himself hang completely, where he was pulled up with a loop on his neck until his feet no longer touched the ground. In all of these attempts, it was meticulously recorded which externally visible effects and effects perceived by the hanged man on the body were to be determined. At that time it was assumed that the respiratory tract disruption was responsible for human death when hanging. Minovici refuted this assumption and explained in detail that the main cause of death was the interruption of the blood supply to the brain and the resulting fainting . In addition, Minovici showed that the prevailing opinion that hanging was an almost painless way of death was fundamentally wrong, since the subjects felt the pain became unbearable after just a few seconds.

Minovici was involved in many humanitarian projects, such as the care of the homeless , through the placement of work, the establishment of a home for single mothers and the construction of wells and sewage systems. In 1906 Minovici initiated the first rescue service in southern Europe. During the First World War he was given responsibility for transporting the wounded. In 1919, Minovici was appointed professor at Cluj University . In 1934 he successfully campaigned for the construction of an emergency hospital, the second facility of its kind in Europe at the time.

In 1936 he headed the establishment of a specialist forensic medicine journal and one year later organized the 16th International Congress of Anthropology . Minovici also worked as the mayor of the Băneasa district in Bucharest. Between 1931 and 1936 he donated all of his possessions to public institutions. He gave his collected paintings to the Athenaeum in Bucharest . He left a large amount of money to the city to finance poor students. He also left his villa, which was later converted into a museum for ethnography , to the city of Bucharest.

Nicolae Minovici died on June 26, 1941 in Bucharest of complications from a disease of the vocal cords.

family

Minovici grew up as the youngest of seven children. His two brothers Mina and Ștefan were also distinguished scientists.

Works

  • Tatuajurile in România-Romanian (in German, tattoos in Romania), doctoral thesis, Bucharest, 1898.
  • Etude sur la pendaison (in German, study on hanging), 1905.

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