The university of Innsbruck, founded by the emperor Leopold I, started its first lectures in 1672.  The first anatomical professorship was given to Prof. Theodor Friedrich von STADTLENDER on April 22th 1689.

The most important instrument for instructions in anatomy was then, as it is today, the human body. The „Letztwillige Verfügung“, i.e. the disposition of one’s body by will, did not exist in the 17th century. Therefore it was quite a problem to procure corpses and opportunities for dissection, the more so since the dissecting of people was thought to be a sin by many people. One possibility to get suitable corpses for dissection, however, there was: the anatomy professor could try to acquire from the hangman the dead bodies of persons who had been sentenced to death (death penalty being the customary punishment then for many crimes).