The Curious Story Of The Most Kissed Woman In The World

They called her “the unknown woman from the Seine” because she was discovered on the banks of the river. Her sweet, fine and delicate features have made her a myth and, also, the most kissed woman in the world  for more than 50 years.

However, the beauty of his face, worthy of a true angel, contrasts with his unfortunate death, marked by horror and morbidity. For years, it was commodified, romanticized, and used ad nauseam, emptying it of any hint of humanity possible.

However, there are stories that show that even in the deepest tragedy can be found glimpses of hope.  That of this young French woman, victim of circumstances, has been fundamental for the development of current medicine.

The drowned girl of the Seine

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This story has its origin in Paris, at the end of the 19th century. It was a winter morning when, on the banks of the Seine, the lifeless body of a girl who was between 15 and 20 years old appeared.

The authorities could not find out his name, and his clothes gave no clue as to his identification. Nor had any disappearance previously been reported.

It was a Parisian pathologist who decided that it was best to leave the body for a couple of days in a funeral home. In this way, anyone who was looking for it could find it.

However, this did not happen, and the poor girl  was buried in a mass grave. Alone, with no name on her headstone and no one to mourn her.

However, the pathologist could not help being fascinated by the young woman’s serene beauty. There was no grimace of fear or pain on his face. Such was the calm she conveyed, that she asked a sculptor to take out a plaster cast of her features to be able to remember her.

Despite the macabre of the situation, this was only the beginning of a story worthy of the best tale of Gothic narrative.

The face of the drowned woman from the Seine and her plaster cast attracted much attention from everyone who saw it. Thus, little by little, they began to make copies of the face for other individuals.

All of France lay in awe of this artistic phenomenon. Any room or meeting place worth its salt had the face of the “drowned from the Seine” in some prominent place.

It was the inspiration of poets and writers, and even Valdimir Nabokov, author of the famous novel “Lolita”, became obsessed with this face. Thanks to him, the fame of the girl from the Seine crossed the Gallic borders and entered foreign territories. In a short time, this figure reached all of Europe.

The drowning of the Seine and CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Despite what it may seem, the plot does not end here. In the mid-20th century, the story ended up involving an Austrian doctor named Peter Safar.

He became world famous for developing the mouth-to-mouth breathing technique and, later, for perfecting this strategy with the famous CPR maneuver of cardiopulmonary stimulation.

Read also: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

What does it have to do with the beautiful stranger?

The truth is that a lot. To teach his students vital resuscitation maneuvers, Safar needed a doll or mannequin that was as realistic as possible. To do this, he spoke with a famous Norwegian toymaker, a man named Asmund Laerdal.

Coincidentally, this artist was very sensitive to the subject of cardiopulmonary stimulation, since, only a few years ago, one of his children was revived in this way after suffering an accident in a lake.

So he took the project very seriously. He knew that the mannequin had to be, not only as real as possible, but also possessing a kind and serene expression that invited calm.

Then he immediately remembered a face that had always been very striking to him. He had seen it a thousand times on the walls of his grandparents’ old house.

It was the porcelain face of a beautiful girl who was called the “drowned woman from the Seine. ” The idea couldn’t be better. In this way, he would honor that unknown young woman, making her face immortal and, incidentally, help that doctor.

The unexpected end of the most kissed woman in the world

Since then, all the dolls that were used for CPR practices have been inspired by the face of the most kissed woman in the world.

It is ironic to say the least that a drowned young woman was the trigger for the drowning victims’ own recovery. His death, whatever it was, has served to improve resuscitation techniques and has marked a milestone in history.

Recognition that, as has always happened, and especially in the field of forensic medicine, it has forgotten its main protagonist.

It is therefore worth paying tribute to the main architect of this achievement. The one who, with only her mere expression, has saved millions of people from death. And one thing is quite clear: her family may have abandoned her body, but the whole world will never forget her face.