Disembowelment

Disembowelment, evisceration or gutting is the removal of some or all of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (bowels or viscera), usually through a incision made across the abdominal area. Evisceration is a routine operation during the animal slaughter. In the ancient Rome, disembowelment of animals was practised for divination and was known as haruspicy. Disembowelment of humans may result from an accident but has also been used as a method of torture, execution or suicide. In such practices, disembowelment may be accompanied by other forms of torture, or the removal of other vital organs. The removal of internal organs is a typical operation in meat processing also known as dressing. Land animals and birds are typically killed and bled before the dressing. The process of disembowelment includes the removal of heart, liver and lungs (pluck) as well as disembowelment by an abdominal cut. Disembowelment is typically accompanied by bung dropping or bunging. Bung dropping is the circumcision of the rectum from the carcass and it the first step of the gutting. Puncturing of bowels are avoided during the evisceration. Otherwise, bacteria from the intestinal contents might spread over the carcass. In case of birds, the abdominal cut extends up to the cloaca separating it from the rest of the skin. Bung dropper is a device used in slaughterhouse for fast bung dropping in a dressing line. The probe of a bung dropper is inserted into the rectum to loosen it from the carcass by circumcising with the sharp rotating cylinder. Belly opener is a device for performing the abdominal cut. Some types of animal mummification include the evisceration. The process of embalming sometimes includes removing the internal organs. Mummification, especially as practised by the ancient Egyptians, entailed the 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 then placed in the tomb with the body.