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Disembowelment (evisceration) is the removal of some or all of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (the bowels), usually through a horizontal incision made across the abdominal area. Disembowelment may result from an accident, but has also been used as a method of torture and execution. In such practices, disembowelment may be accompanied by other forms of torture, and/or the removal of other vital organs.

Disembowelment as torture

If a living creature is disemboweled, it is invariably fatal without medical attention. Historically, disembowelment has been used as a severe form of capital punishment. If the intestinal tract alone is removed, death follows after several hours of severe pain. However, in some forms of intentional disembowelment, decapitation and/or the removal of the heart and lungs would sooner end the victim's life.

in

Europe

Belgium and the Netherlands

In the Netherlands and Belgium the vierendelen (literally "to divide in four"), a practice where the arms and legs were tied to horses and the abdomen was sliced open. This punishment was exclusively for regicide.

Roman Empire

Catholic tradition states that Erasmus of Formiae, also known as Saint Elmo, was finally executed by disembowelment in about A.D. 303, after he had suffered extreme forms of torture during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian and Maximian. However, it is also acknowledged that this portion of the account may be more legend than fact.

United Kingdom

In England, the punishment of being "hanged, drawn and quartered" was typically used for men convicted of high treason. This referred to the practice of drawing a man by a hurdle (similar to a fence) through the streets, removing him from the hurdle and hanging him from the neck (but removing him before death), disemboweling him slowly on a wooden block by slitting open his abdomen, removing his entrails and his other organs, and then decapitating him and dividing the body into four pieces. The man's head and quarters would often be parboiled and displayed as a warning to others. As part of the disembowelment, the man was also typically castrated and his genitals and entrails would be burned. Women who were accused of high treason were, for modesty's sake, instead burned at the stake. On the Isle of Man this "mercy" was denied to them and women convicted of treason were also hanged, drawn and quartered.

Transanal evisceration

Cases of transanal evisceration of children whilst sitting over uncovered swimming pool drains have been reported. Notable cases include Valerie Lakey and Abigail Taylor. In both of these cases, the victims were left with short bowel syndrome and required feeding by total parenteral nutrition.

Cultural References

The short story "Guts" from the book Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk is based on the concept of transanal evisceration.

In Japanese folklore, it was believed that some malicious kappa, water-goblins that inhabited ponds and rivers, might thrust their hands in the anus of a human swimmer, seeking a mythical sphere called a shirikodama.

Embalming

The process of embalming sometimes includes removing the internal organs.

A notable example of this is during mummification, especially as practised by the ancient Egyptians. It entailed removal of the internal organs prior to the preservation of the remainder of the body. The organs removed were embalmed, stored in canopic jars, and placed in the tomb with the body.

See also

• Seppuku
• William Wallace

References

1. Jones, Terry H. (13 August 2010). "Saint Erasmus". Saints.SQPN.com. Retrieved 4 March 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

• Articles lacking sources from August 2007
• Execution methods
• Torture