Sciences: project to reconstruct Henry IV’s voice continues, “he suffered from sinus aplasia”

The first step to restoring your voice. Since then, others have appeared, necessary ones, who clearly did not take into account Béarn’s secular impatience. But the project continues successfully. This Thursday evening, Philippe Charlier, a renowned forensic scientist and paleopathologist who is part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers, confirmed the new discovery.

After the larynx, this time the sinuses were modeled. In particular, the 3D reconstruction of the paranasal sinuses and mastoid cells of the King of France is now complete.

This has just been confirmed by a study published in the journal Clinical Anatomy on April 18 and conducted by scientists from the Laboratory of Anthropology, Archeology and Biology – LAAB (UFR Simone Veil – health UVSQ/UPSaclay).

This report, signed by Robin Baudouin, Angelique Hamelot, Isabelle Huin-Charlier, Quentin Lisant, Stéphane Gans and Philippe Charlier, recalls that the preserved head of Henry IV has survived to this day “thanks to high-quality embalming and the creation of favorable storage conditions.” “

In fact, the researchers have this person’s entire respiratory tree, “which is completely unique for an ancient body. Suddenly the question arose about whether he could be made to speak again,” Philippe Charlier told us in September 2022.

The aim of the latest study was to study the superior resonant cavities and mastoid cells of Henri IV using an original and innovative medical 3D segmentation method developed by LAAB in collaboration with the Laboratory of Phonetics and Phonology of the University of New Sorbonne/Paris 3. (UMR 7018).

“Available biographical information was compared with flexible endoscopic examinations (at the Foch Hospital) and computed tomography. The paranasal sinuses and mastoid cells were delineated and their volumes estimated using software,” the scientists explain.

“Respiratory diseases of the face”

As for the royal sinuses, they found anomalies in shape and quantity. “Henry IV of France suffered from sinus aplasia,” they note, before going into technical detail. They also found that the king had above-average mastoid volume.

First of all, thanks to this biohistorical case, the researchers were able to establish “hypotheses about the growth and respiratory conditions of the face.” This is a necessary prerequisite for reconstructing the voice of this historical character,” the research presentation notes.

As Philippe Charlier told us 18 months ago, reviving the voice of Henry IV is in no way a fantasy. “We have the technological and anatomical capabilities to do this,” the paleopathologist told us.

You just need to be patient, we understand that.