The Man Who Crucified Himself: Readings of a Medical Case in Nineteenth-Century Europe

The Man Who Crucified Himself is the history of a sensational medical case. In 1805, a shoemaker called Mattio Lovat attempted to crucify himself in Venice. His act caused a big stir - and the story spread all over Europe. Throughout the nineteenth century, Lovat's case fuelled scientific and popular debates on medicine, madness, suicide and religion. Drawing on Italian, German, English and French sources, Maria Böhmer traces the multiple readings of the case and identifies various communities of interpretation. Her detailed study sheds new light not only on the history of Lovat's case but also offers a fresh view on case narratives in general - both as an epistemic and literary genre.