But moving the remains isn’t the only goal. With a few simple scientific tests, we can learn more about the famed Leatherman, separating man from myth. The Ossining Historical Society approached Nicholas F. Bellantoni, the Connecticut State Archaeologist, to lead the team of scientists conducting the tests and eventually re-interring the body.
'Of course, this is all predicated on there being preserved organic material to test,' Bellantoni says. 'I’ve seen graves like this where there’s nothing left but soil.' Here, he leads us through some of the tests and what we can learn from them.
Gross Morphology Examination—His skeleton alone can tell us his age, whether he had any severe traumas, or whether he had certain diseases. (If he had TB, for example, lesions would be visible on his ribs.) 'We expect to see a robust musculature,' Bellantoni says. 'After all, he walked for forty years of his life.'”
Click through to read the rest of the article.