Present at the examination were Dr Antommarchi (who carried out the post-mortem), and Drs Arnott, Shortt, Mitchell, Burton, Livingstone (for part only), Rutledge and Henry. There were also some non-medical people present such as Count Bertrand, Count Montholon, Marchand, St Denis and some British officers.
There were three post-mortem reports. The first one—signed by Dr Shortt with Drs Arnott, Burton, and Mitchell, was completely unacceptable to Hudson Lowe. It stipulated that the liver was enlarged and swollen. A second report omitted the remarks concerning the liver. This was accepted by Lowe, signed and despatched to London.
Dr Henry’s report was written in Ireland some two years after the examination; it is not very accurate and a little too imaginative.
Dr Antommarchi was a pathologist and an anatomist. He refused to sign the official report because it was inaccurate. He also refused to be influenced by Sir Hudson Lowe. The positive findings of his report were:
Left lung: the superior lobe contains some small tubercular cavities.
Mediastinal glands: enlarged and in a state of suppuration.
Heart: a little larger than his fist and containing more than the usual amount of fat.
Peritoneum: there was some clear peritoneal fluid present.
Spleen and liver: both had been enlarged and distended with blood. The liver affected by chronic hepatitis was clearly adherent to the diaphragm (adhesions of long-standing duration). The left lobe of the liver was firmly adherent tot the stomach. This lobe was thickened and swollen.
Stomach: appeared at first to be healthy, but on opening an ulcer was found approximately one inch from the pyloris. This ulcer was cancerous and had invaded the whole stomach. One finger could be put through this ulcer cancer. The glands on both the greater and lesser curvature of the stomach were enlarged.
Bladder: this contained some ‘gravel’. There were also a few bladder calculae.
There were also numerous red patches on the bladder mucosae.
Kidneys: there was a small deformity of the left kidney.
Dr Antommarchi wanted to open the skull and examine the brain, but Count Montholon felt that his great friend the Emperor had been mutilated enough, and insisted that the post-mortem end. The heart was therefore excised and put in a silver chalice containing alcohol. Next, the entire large and small bowel was excised and placed in another vessel. In order to make the billiard room a little more agreeable eau de cologne was now poured freely into the abdominal cavity. The body was then closed.
Almost twenty years after his burial the British government agreed to allow the return of the Emperor’s body to France. Accordingly, on the morning of 6 October 1840 the body was exhumed.
Dr Gilliard was appointed to inspect the corpse. On opening the coffin, he said, ‘we were absolutely startled, for Napoleon was perfectly preserved—he looked like a man aged 30. The face and figurer were instantly recognisable. In fact the body appeared as that of one that had only recently been interred.’
He went on to report:
1. The skull of ample volume.
2. The skin mummified hard and adherent in its upper part. Part of the eye-brows were retained.
3. Balls of the eyes entire but had lost some of their volume.
4. Nose was well preserved.
5. Face—soft well-preserved cheeks, full white in colour.
6. Lips thin and open, teeth were visible which were very white.
7. Chin was well preserved with a bluish appearance.
8. Hair—the hair had grown considerably after death.
9. Hands were perfect—pale long white fingers, the nails had grown approximately 1mm after death.
10. Legs—his leather boots had decomposed after 20 years, but his toes, easily visible on either side, were perfectly preserved.
11. The thorax was depressed—the coat had fallen in.
12. Genitalia –well preserved, visible underneath the cloth and of normal size.
Even during the time of two minutes allowed for the examination, Dr Gilliard noticed that the skin of the face had started to decompose, so the coffin was immediately closed and sealed.