« Criminal

Episode 223: The Unknown Woman

2023-06-16 | 🔗

When a toymaker and a doctor teamed up to make the world’s first CPR doll, they decided to make the doll’s face look like one specific woman – a woman who they thought had drowned. People call her l’Inconnue de la Seine, or the Unknown Woman of the Seine.

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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
New beginnings are in season on the max original series and just like that stirring Sarah, the good parker, cynthia Nixon and christian Davis. The next chapter of sex in the city follows carry miranda in charlotte, as they navigate life, love and friendship in their fifties. Why? it's the brand new season of, and just like that streaming this thursday, only on max subscription required visit, match dot com for details. This episode contains references to suicide. Please use discretion. Software though it is also money always have someone claps. Okay, so I say: are you? Ok, they don't respond so you're going to call for help because you need help coming towards you. Okay didn't even start the winter, and I would just tell them: don't worry, I'm calling for help? I'm not the only thing that's going to help you, but maybe that would keep them alive
ok and then there we're gonna, go at a rate of about a hundred two hundred and twenty per minute the tune staying alive, Israel familiar but go ahead of us, our motion up and down on the chest, people and fast or look after last night. You face they allow staying alive going greatly belarus is, it were far more force things up. Don't you know the thing about it? Is that you actually each It's a lot of work. Tracy still teaches life's important. Cpr he's a nurse to hospital where they trainer twelve hundred people a month, so we teach adult cpr infancy, be our chelsea pr and eighty use and our basic life support
And we are surrounded by a lot of dummies, yeah, there's even mannequins in hospital beds, I mean and there's little the little babies tell me about this doll. Well, she's kind of a vintage look is she is, had a long life. We went to the hospital to see one cpr mannequin in particular, adorning danny because something we heard that Annie. Was based on a real woman, I'm phoebe judge. This is criminal Annie was the first cpr doll ever made. Michael Jackson referred, his her in his song smooth criminal. But the lyrics any. Are you ok?
we heard about Annie while working on our last episode about the freedom spare paramedics in pittsburgh, Detroit here that story that, in the old days the day would turn you on your chest and flap. Your arm is behind you like a bird. What do you think it, but you think that was effective, probably not as effective as what we know now. But in the older days there wasn't a lot of science and you know, studies and results that were shown to be effective or not effective. So lots of townspeople did what seemed to make Since, if I got strangle, my momma would hold my arm up over my head relating what was I going to do later feel better. According to a recent survey around half of all. Americans say they know how to do cpr, but the number of p,
would actually know the right way to do. It is a lot smaller interim county where he works. Tracy style estimates that p bolster cpr before help arrives less than five percent of the time. Sometimes nine one one dispatchers we'll try to walk people threw it over the phone. He says that if you see someone who's unresponsive, you should start cpr even before checking. Reports, because if they are not in cardiac arrest and they opened their eyes and say what are you doing, then you'll stop. I know they move an arm. They move a leg, they take a breath. You would stop, but really a lot of folks and even healthcare providers spend way too much time trying to figure out what's going on. Instead of starting, what's going to help good samaritan, laws say that if you're doing your best to do cpr, even if you crack someone's ribs,
probably can't be successfully sued. Now I heard this saying it might be wrong if the ribs don't crack they're not coming back, I don't know that I buy that, because the ribs are connected to your sternum, with cartilage and loss of time. That popping sound sounds like you're cracking your knuckles in the set cartilage popping most of the time, because if you're in the right place and pressing straight down on the breastbone, you really shouldn't be in a position to crack ribs. What about breathing? We teach a lot of hands only cpr, because folks really don't want to put their mouth on somebody. They don't know, but I think with covert, there's really not a lot of folks that are real eager about doing mouth to mouth. When CPR was developed in the late fifties and early sixties, now
resuscitation was a big part of it. But today the american heart association says that chest compressions on their own can be lifesaving. Experts say any cpr is better than none pc still says the original Annie mannequin they have at the hospital is from the eighties. The doll is dressed in a dark blue tracksuit with red trim and plastic sneakers. She just got a slight tiny smile on her face as her closed ears and throat and hair that needs to be washed chief looks pretty good to me. It is not an intimidating mannequin at all. It's almost got lacquer friendly aura to it. They have other mannequin too,
Now this face does not look as peaceful, correct, I think annie I would prefer to be working on Annie. These are are better to learn on, though, because I give you two types of feedback when you press the chest deep enough, they click and when you press the chest at the right speed, we have lights. That turn on in the shoulder and give you guidance. Too fast or too slow, and there are newer mannequins that can do even more now. This man looks a little more advanced. His tongue is moving. This is a three g simulation manikin he can breathe, create a pulse that you can feel he can talk. Who is really lifelike has. So is this type of a mannequin, a step up from the old fashioned? I mean, I guess recess, and he was kind of a pioneer.
to what we have today lauded interesting history around our society, the history of the recess he Annie mannequin begins at the nineteen fiftys. When a doctor named peter, safer, was trying to develop What would later become cpr? He decided the test, the idea by sedating and lies in volunteers to practice. On peter safer, presented this technique, medical conferences soon. Other doctors started trying it doctor in norway Bjorn lindh started using patients who are already anesthetized for minor surgeries to show the technique to the hospital staff. One time give anastasia to his wife and used her demonstrate. Then the only got a call from a toymakers named osman layer, doll
is offering to help a few years earlier osman your dog had been on a family vacation at the beach when he saw a two year old son face down in the water, aspirin layered all rush to pull him out didn't really. to do so. I started shaking his son upside down. It worked, the water left his lungs and he recovered, but after osmond layered all kept thinking about it. His toy company was known for making Cars, trucks and dolls, but he had made one medical device before a fake wound kid for medics to practice. First aid: The norwegian civil defence had asked to develop it and it included thirty three plastic wounds and pumps that could spurt fake blood osmond layered all told the doctors working on earth,
cpr that he could make them a soft plastic man again to practice on so they wouldn't need to keep using surgery. Patients or sedated in tears. He starts working on the design for the mannequin. He wanted to give it a woman's face, since he thought the doctors at the time. Mostly, and wouldn't want to put their mouths on a male mannequin. Secondly, it all was still planning the design when he went away. it is in laws and he saw a mask hanging on their war. She looks. sleeping woman, she's almost smiling Eric. No doubt on the workshop. That makes masks aspen layered all learned that the mask he saw was will be made from the face of a young woman who drown, the sun river in paris she's. She looks very serene for that person of especially drown prison. So seeing this this,
Space of that beautiful drowned women. You said yes, I've got. I've got the face of of my manawyddan. Ask them layered all decided to model the face of his cpr doll on this mask he and bjorn lindh started spending so much time, working on the doll together that they became good friends, they named her were an or rescue any they made a prototype and trade teach people with it, starting with a group of two hundred middle schoolers. Them Should the mannequin to peter, safer who said they should add a metal spring in the dolls chest to help people learn compressions. The doll worked really well to teach the first group of middle schoolers so well that beyond
lynde, was invited across europe and to cuba to talk about rescue annie in Norway, banks donated six hundred and fifty mannequin parliamentary schools over the next two years: papers reported a lot on people who are rescued from drowning. In eighty five attempts to resuscitate people forty were saved today. People have called rescue Annie, the most kissed woman in the world will be right. Back when you think of the music and have forty radio odds, are you nothing I'm here
crews producer switch on pop and this week raising our troublemaker series temper. The influx of mexican regional artist like a blue, my group a front that are currently climbing up the hot one hundred setting the scene for a worldwide appreciation of the music of mexico. This episode switch on power, by other teen offers on various air. For an exploration into these sounds and more. You can find switch on hop anywhere. You get about costs. the face of rescue, any a young woman who supposedly drowned which osman leered all saw his in the wall was first made into a mask in a tradition that was back to ancient rome in ancient rome. Artists would cover a person's faced with plaster, let it in and then use that as a move to make a cast or mask out of wax. It was a status symbol for men usually between the ages of thirty five and forty to have these masks. May,
While they were still alive, then at funerals they would sometimes higher and actor to wear the wax mask of the dead. Hundreds of years later, people in europe started making death masks again of royalty or famous people. People would use them as a reference to paint portraits from or just as decoration later for knowledge, just who believe the shape of a person skull, determine their personality. studied the death mask of people who were convicted of crimes. The police also use death masks to preserve the face as of anonymous bodies and try to identify them. The death mask of rescue any was shown in the nineteen. Twenty six catalogue of death masks. Where it was given the title, the unknown woman of the sun the unknown lady of the same type
drowned in the same river in nineteen o too so people recuperated her body. And on the river sides. They saw that she was dead. There was nothing to do so. They brought the body to the morgue downtown is in the more the doctor that was supposed to sign the death certificate approached a body and soul tat. She had a beautiful face, very delicate thought. The core or almost fell in love with her, so he wanted to have a reminder of her face So he sent a one of his assistant to get em older and a closest smoulder in the area was lorenzo. Saw. The assistant asks, MR lorenzo to come to the more to make him old currency says okay, so it takes his moulding. Kids closes the shop gets down the hill.
on the other side of the river he goes on. It asks you to, which is where the morgue is and makes the molt Eric Nadel says the the Ren to use the mole to make a cast for the corner, but then he decided to make another copy. One too, for himself, he put it in the window of the shop people come here to do ask to see rescue any today arithmetic, Who owns the Lorenzi workshop they've got a room which it is called a death mask room which the very dark place called plays. The workshop is filled with thousands of old cas and modes though the renzo family ran for generations. writers and artist would walk by law and the shop and some of them.
Notice, the woman's face in the window. Rhino maria rilke described the mask of the woman's face in a book. He was writing. He said it was hanging next beethoven court, the face of the young drowned woman, which was asked the morgue because it was beautiful because it smiled smiled so deceptively as though it new rilke wasn't the first person to write about the mask and he wasn't the last. People cap noticing her after awhile, Mr Lorenzo in paris, starts who have orders for the no lady, you get so many orders that that starts thinking that it is going to be a millionaire Eric Agnadello says the orders came from all over europe, people had written short stories plays box and a movie about the woman,
Everyone wanted to hang her face on their wall. A critic named Alvarez wrote that Nineteen twenties and thirty's quote nearly every student of sensibility had a plaster cast of her, told that a whole generation of german girls modeled their looks on her still no one knew who she was but writers. Imagine the story of her death over and over and they said that she jumped into the sun after was abandoned by lover in the water. She she said, what did what did I do? I'm losing my life because, as stupid man, as you see she's trying to get out of the of the sand river, but the souls of the people of the indecision river try our catching her by by her legs, because they saw that she was beautiful. She was
we pregnant, drawn us south ossetia We did suicide because she was in love. while she was murdered push in the water of the river and sal. You wrote a book about the stories of the unknown woman of the sun, so one common, future is narratives. Is that she's been fished? I understand and she's dead One story says that the woman grub in liverpool, with an identical twin, she looked to paris with a frenchman, and never came back. The years later said her twin, visited paris, and saw her own face in the shop window. Only then she realized it was her sisters and that she died in a best selling novel. She was an orphan induced by an english aristocrat named william would said she was of russian noble, named valerie and that
I knew where her tomb was the other night it is that the mask was made by a business man, so that you just you know beautiful model and made a mask invented a story. We go along the mask and solid, doesn't entities that, after that The woman had a very you know, romantic after life as being still alive like she become a cover, dancer not until now, she's gave all kind of stories. Some people thought she drowned round. Nineteen hundred, but an image of her cast peers and drawing manual for thirty years earlier, the manual also as images of homer. and the founder of the roman republic in nineteen. Fifty one, an article in the newspaper la press, said
the mysterious identity of the unknown woman of the sin has not yet been discovered. an girl cell yo, first read about the woman in a novel I was then a student in paris so wandering around the streets are first six: seventy small, more precise on the real deal I came across a face. In the window of the Malta shop as alluring z, Malta shop, and I realize ok- she exists. She has a matter existence in French she's called The in canoe, the lesson eventually, an ngo cell yo went back to the workshop to find out more about the woman. When she went in she met. Lorenzo scrutiny, I came in a non son. I huska genuinely lesson donor. Reaction was again again. She was obviously it wasn't.
those time that people were are asking a question, but she nevertheless took the time to answer me in what she told me that we don't have them general mould, We don't know when and how our great uncle got hold of that. You know that an old people have pulled here and skin part poles from death, masks to use his dna evidence and other cases, but Lorenzo greatness old and galileo. That there's no to know where the original mask of the unknown woman is because molders put off Switch original molten, copies using them interchangeably to make new casts. That's something that you know it's kind of a workshop windows we're just swept imprints and cast of all kinds, so it's nearly impossible to track down we are in such a never finds the original. We only have copies of copies of copies of copies
Do you remember the first story you heard about the unknown, a woman of the sand? I yes beyond who needs it? Sn cat buyers is working on a phd on the works of paris and new york. She says the paris morgue kept detailed records and that, once photography was invented, the police kept a catalogue full of pictures of the bodies that came to the morgue. If the unknown woman had been brought there, as many people believed there should be some record, did you ever look for her in the records I did? I did look there in there, gets she would have been for draft and I was looking through these forecasts. The other day and there's no one from that period that resembles her exactly the likely There have, however, actually having
at the morgue is, I would say, not very likely issue question any professional mode make They will all tell you as fine doctors will tell you. It's impossible said this mask was taken on the dead woman, more especially in your debt. A woman were drawn us south because she's too beautiful asked kennedy, fact. Zanu cavities says no wrinkles. You know if you a body in water for a certain amount of time. Even for a couple of hours- Its will never look that smooth and beautiful so meet about people went to the archives of the national in paris and other more trying to track down a trace of that woman. into when was she drawn? We don't know when was a mastic, and we still don't know today still means enigma. If ever she drawn us, but does not
we'll be right back yeah. According to Eric now dough owner of the. lindsey workshop in nineteen fourteen michelle he didn't interview on french radio about the mask. In the interview he said that the woman had never drown Michel Lorenzo said that he had made the mould of her face in eighteen. Sixty six nod in nineteen o to he said, actually she was a model and that so many painters wanted her in their workshops, at the same time that they started making copies of her face.
Ever believe, first. Second, that the legend about the the unknown. Woman might be true. I think there were probably plenty of women like her I think that when I first read about it, what mattered wasn't society that it was true of this specific woman, but the possibility or the story of a young woman. Taking her own life and ending up in the morgue felt very true. So I didn't necessary think that that woman did. But I felt that I know that plenty of women did It's unlikely sets a woman was sent as a model. For now can you lesson was dead, but why
she became so famous. It's because it was very, very resonant. We sinks, which were happening in the eighteen hundred. Hundreds of thousands of people started moving to pay when we start the century paris has, I think it's about. Six hundred thousand people by the end of the century is over two million, and during that period there was more, for we would perhaps consider now to be untimely death and was essentially what the morgue was born out of is the fact that so many people were being found. Et in the streets or in the river, in a scenario where they couldn't be immediately identified, and perhaps that's because they were away from home, but also they might away from home in every sense that they may have recently come into the city to work not had those strong. So
You community ties and, as a result, the wasn't anybody to identify them people were, you know transporting all kinds of thing on the river and it was a necessary for business. So the way vigour, accidents, two thirds of the bodies in the morgue were reported to be pulled from the and the french writer called the sun, the great dumping ground. Where assassins come to bury their victims, the police would distribute photographs of the bodies and ask people to try to identify them. Anyone could walk into the morgue from the street, and so you would go in and then. back of the room. There was a wall of glass, find the wall there were bodies laid out on slabs, their displayed naked other. They have a cloth covered crying so closer taken away and the closer often hung behind the body to help with with recognition.
and they the condition, varies they didn't very many ways to keep the bodies fresh thought of a better word, so they would trip. cold water on the bodies, and you would prove I only get about two to three days before the bodies that become unrecognisable. But then, once the fridge technology was introduced. You could maybe get two to three weeks the more showed up and novels Charles dickens visited it over and over again, and it was part of a book whereas we can by a Zola. A matter goes to the work to see if the body of his victim is there seeing the body. He has this awful reaction to it. I feel so guilty apologies for spoilers, but it has been out for one hundred and fifty plus years. Illustrations of the newspapers showed the police bringing people, they suspect
did into the morgue to confront their supposed victims. Journalists would report in detail about the crimes connected to the bodies on display with some of the popular party is, they might occasionally replace something's. There was one woman who wants her head became to decompose to display they created a map. tax model of her head and put that on display. Instead, by the time the unknown woman was rumored to have died them. It was already popular. It was reported that I'm busy days as many as forty thousand people would come to visit. It was open seven days a week from dawn to dusk, It became a kind of tourist attraction, see might read a guide book that would suggest that After our visit not to down. Why not take a trip to the morgue, in fact more people. We visited the more than in any museum. I mean fault for today far
a prairie sensibility, it's nearly sons, atrocious, but people were really visiting. You know you have nineteenth century newspapers articles what selling to tourists in britain and in July, as a tool to the morgue as a tool to aloof an art. Published a nineteen. Fifty one reads: many take away a souvenir of their stay in paris, beautiful and of art preserved in our museums or moulding always the same, the unknown woman if the same for a very long time. People where buying pus cats are cast of the canoe lesson. in the same way as if we buy miniature of cfl filter, wanted the paris more to the public and and why that was it
fifthly, closed in nineteen o seven on the grounds of public decency. So after over a hundred years, they decided it was no longer appropriate for the public to be able to the dead to be exposed for public viewing. In that way, there also fears various periods towards the end of the morgue that it was inspiring crime in people in that it wasn't origin, bad behaviour. Even though They had also been elements to which the display, with intended to maintain social order and tat He people aware of what happened a few if he stepped outside the lines when the more closed, one journalist wrote the morgue has been the first The seer among Peter, to announce its closing as for the spectators
You have no right to say anything because they didnt pay. It was the first free feeder for the people. For years in jail cell yo refused to buy a car of the unknown woman's face said she didn't want to have one while she was researching her it was only when she moved away from paris that she fine. We bought one I mean she's very spooky, have to say I find her quite frightening. She brought her car we have the mask into the studio when we spoke, I try not. Look at her when she, when I'm in my study, because she's in my study now has this specific asked on from. Nineteenth century was her tight back, but areas are covered. A high Closure has averting medics mine of faces very smooth. She has very prominent cheek bones very regular features. She luke as if she's dreaming peacefully, but what I find you
a characteristic in that you can see all the texture office kin wishes very smooth, but For example, our high lashes look as if they're still method and you meet- you know it's it's some. It looks till wet, live in some ways yet you're in it. It looks as if she's just been fished out of the water That's true! When you look at her, she does look as though she's just emerged from the water, and I dont know seem like her. Hair might be damned, but it really. There is something very lifelike about her yang, even though she supposedly day Yes, I mean it's quite striking, because if you look closely, you can see I for me, it's as if you're someone has just cried and enforce sleep. She looks both that underlies she's, beautiful but she's frightening. She seems to be very ancient and very modern, she's lacking
This kind of fur, lemon or presence at key continue. She's. A ghost is a perfect ghost, So she remains it's a mystery as the facts. Confidence is so many of our experience and, I think, maybe fundamentalist. and of modernity what it means to be an anonymous woman in a big city. Why did and to die or known what it means to love what it means to keep traces of all that it's about. You know the presence of well dead within our lives the criminal is created by war and spore, and me needy wilson is our senior producer, katy bishop. Supervising producer our producers are
zero hopperson, Jackie's, chico, lily clerk, Lena sellers. and making can aim our technical terms, Yours raw buyers, engineering, Ross Henry julian alexander, makes original illustrations preach episode of criminal. You can see them This is criminal dot com or on facebook and, better at criminal show and instagram at criminal underscore podcast browser on youtube at youtube: dot com slashing upon cast criminal is what, in the studio of north carolina public radio to be you and see we're part of the vocs media podcast network discover more great shows at podcast art, vocs, media dot, com I'm phoebe judge. This is criminal.
Transcript generated on 2023-06-17.