Galileo’s thumb, middle finger and a tooth have turned up at an auction and are due to be put on display at Florence’s History of Science Museum, to be reunited with a finger of his already in the museum’s collection.

The rather gruesome tale begins in 1737 some 95 years after Galileo’s death, when “enthusiastic admirers” removed body parts when his corpse was being moved to Santa Croce Basilica in Florence.

According to CNN, “Two of the fingers and the tooth ended up in a sealed glass jar that disappeared sometime after 1905.” That glass jar ended up being auctioned and landed in the hands of museum director Paolo Galluzzi.

The story goes on to explain that the jar had been labelled, but that label was lost by the time of the auction (which begs the question – why was there any interest in a jar containing an unknown persons fingers and tooth?).

Galluzzi says he has no doubt that these are the genuine articles (BBC), and the museum will be putting the finger, thumb and tooth on display along with the finger they already have, next year.

Apparently the missing fingers were those Galileo would have used to write with, and the gesture of removing them was reminiscent of the way saints’ bodies would be mutilated after death by admirers. This could be a nod to the fact that scientists of the day held Galileo in the highest esteem, but as a scientist, not a Christian.

Image: Galileo, from Astronomy Picture of the Day