Chapter 15 – Dissection of corpses

In the autopsy report of Princess Schwarzenberg, only indirect information mediated severalfold by secondary sources has been available to me. Luckily, the basic knowledge that she suffered from an abdominal tumour “the size of a child’s head” is beyond doubt. This was very likely the main reason for her long illness and, ultimately, her death.

However, medical examination was not the first and main purpose for performing the autopsy of a member of the aristocracy. The practical reason for separating the heart and intestines from the body was to secure the condition of the corpse during transportation. Yet the social aspect of the procedure was even more important. By the 18^th century, evisceration of the inner organs, embalming of the body and the subsequent transportation and delayed burial associated with high social status were costly procedures and ways to show off wealth. Through the fragmentation of their corpses and dispersed burials, high-ranking individuals expressed their loyalty to more than one site.