Paolo Gorini (18 January 1813 – 2 February 1881) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosop ...

, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

renowned as a pioneer of

cremation Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a Cadaver, dead body through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, primarily in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Biography

Born in

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the ...

, Gorini obtained a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

at the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one ...

in 1832 and subsequently moved to Lodi in 1834, where he worked as

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

in the local lyceum. There he achieved noteworthy discoveries about

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

substances. Gorini became interested in

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

at a very young age and joined the emerging Italian nationalist movement during the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence ( it, Prima guerra d'indipendenza italiana), part of the Italian Unification (''Risorgimento''), was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other ...

. After the

Five Days of Milan The Five Days of Milan ( ) was an insurrection and a major event in the Revolutionary Year of 1848 that started the First Italian War of Independence. On 18 March, a rebellion arose in the city of Milan, and in five days of street fighting ...

(1848), he fled to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and was further exiled to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, where he continued his eclectic studies in

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeat ...

(

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other Astronomical object, astronomical objects, the features or rock (geology), rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology ...

, and

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...

). Back in Lodi, in 1871, he published ''Sull'origine del vulcani'' ("On the Origin of Volcanoes") and, in 1872, he became famous for the

embalming Embalming is the art and science of preserving human remains by treating them (in its modern form with chemicals) to forestall decomposition. This is usually done to make the deceased suitable for public or private viewing as part of the funeral ...

of the bodies of

Giuseppe Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...

and

Giuseppe Rovani Giuseppe Rovani (12 January 1818–26 January 1874) was an Italian novelist and essayist. Rovani was born in Milan. He was known for criticism of historical novels of the Romantic style, which were popular in Italy at the time and whose ste ...

. In 1878, he was commissioned by the

Cremation Society of Great Britain The Cremation Society of Great Britain (now known as The Cremation Society) was founded in 1874 to promote the use of cremation as an alternative means of dealing with the bodies of the dead instead of burial which until then was the only option. T ...

to construct the cremator at

Woking Crematorium Woking Crematorium is a crematorium in Woking, a large town in the west of Surrey, England. Established in 1878, it was the first custom-built crematorium in the United Kingdom and is closely linked to the history of cremation in the UK. ...

in England. He died in Lodi in 1881; following a

civil ceremony A civil, or registrar, ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the United Kingdom, this person is typically called a registrar. In the United States, civil ceremonies may be performed ...

, his remains were

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre ...

and buried in the local cemetery of Riolo. A monument and a museum are dedicated to him in Lodi.AA. VV, ''Paolo Gorini. Scienziato a Lodi nell'800'', cd rom, Provincia di Lodi, Lodi 1999 In 2021, the

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

''Il mago di Lodi'' ("The wizard of Lodi") dedicated to his life and works as embalmer was directed by Silvia Onegli and produced by Magestic Film.

References

Bibliography

* Cesare Vignati, ''Sopra alcune divulgatissime mummificazioni e sul nuovo trovato del professore Paolo Gorini, memoria'', Milano-Lodi, C. Wilmant, 1847; *Paolo Gorini, ''Autobiografia'', Dossi-Perelli-Levi editori, Roma, 1881. *Secondo Cremonesi, ''Studio su Gorini, sue opere, suoi lavori'', Lodi, Tip. C. Dell'Avo, 1883. *Piera Andreoli, ''Cenni biografici e attività scientifica di Paolo Gorini (1813-1881)'', Biancardi, Lodi, 1931. *Antonio Allegri, ''Conservazione e dissolvimento della sostanza organica nell'opera goriniana'', in "Archivio Storico Lodigiano", 2sem., XI, 1963, pp. 77–94. *Pietro M. Erba, ''L'opera scientifica di Paolo Gorini'', in idem, pp. 95–110. *Luigi Samarati, ''Paolo Gorini: l'uomo e i tempi'', in idem, pp. 111–145. *Antonio Allegri, ''Il Museo Paolo Gorini'', Lodi, Lodigraf, 1982. *Angelo Stroppa, ''Statuto e regolamento dell'Associazione di cremazione "Paolo Gorini"'', La Grafica, Lodi, 1999. *AA. VV., ''Paolo Gorini. Scienziato a Lodi nell'Ottocento'', Cd-Rom, a cura di Maria Canella e Giorgia Simonetta, Provincia di Lodi, Lodi, 1999. *Sergio Luzzatto, ''La mummia della Repubblica. Storia di Mazzini imbalsamato'', Rizzoli, Milano, 2000. *Alberto Carli, ''Carlo Dossi e Paolo Gorini. Letteratura e scienza scapigliata'', in "Rendiconti dell'Istituto Lombardo Accademia di Scienze e Lettere", 135, 2001, fasc. II, pp. 327–360. *Alberto Carli,'' Storia di una salma. Giuseppe Rovani, Carlo Dossi e Paolo Gorini'', in "Testo. Studi di teoria e storia della letteratura e della critica", 44, XXIII, 2002, pp. 75–86. *Alberto Carli, ''Anatomie scapigliate. L'estetica della morte tra letteratura, arte e scienza'', Interlinea, Novara, 2004. *AA. VV.,'' Storia di uno scienziato. La collezione anatomica Paolo Gorini'', a cura di Alberto Carli, Bolis, Azzano San Paolo (BG), 2005. *Alberto Carli, ''I manoscritti di Luigi Rovida e le formule segrete di Paolo Gorini'', in "Studi Tanatologici", 1, 1, 2005. *Angelo Stroppa, ''Il mito di Paolo Gorini fra cronaca, storia e attualità'', in AA. VV., ''Storia di uno scienziato...'', cit., pp. 113–133. *Guido Broich, ''Prefazione'', in AA. VV., ''Storia di uno scienziato...'', cit., pp. 7–13. *Alberto Carli,''Guida storica alla Collezione anatomica Paolo Gorini'', Comune di Lodi, Lodi, 2009. *Alberto Carli, ''Paolo Gorini. La fiaba del mago di Lodi'', a cura di Matteo Schianchi, Interlinea, Novara, 2009 (Strenna del Consiglio Comunale di Lodi - edizione fuori commercio). *Alberto Carli e Angelo Stroppa (a cura di), Paolo Gorini, ''Autobiografia'', Limina Mantis, Villasanta, 2010 (Ristampa anastatica della ''princeps'' del 1881).

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gorini, Paolo 1813 births 1881 deaths 19th-century Italian educators 19th-century Italian geologists 19th-century Italian mathematicians 19th-century Italian politicians Cremation Embalmers Italian classical liberals Italian expatriates in England Italian expatriates in Switzerland Italian people of the Italian unification Italian radicals Italian secularists Positivists Scientists from Pavia University of Pavia alumni