Oil painting from circa 1900 of the English physician William Harvey (1578-1657) performing the autopsy of Thomas Parr (1483-1635). Parr claimed to have been born in 1483. News of his age made him something of a celebrity and in 1635 Parr was taken to London to the court of King Charles I. Within a couple of weeks he became ill and died. King Charles ordered Harvey, his personal physician, to dissect the body. Harvey's examinations didn't show any organ failure and he put Parr's death down to the polluted London air and overindulgence in rich food. Modern interpretations of the autopsy put Parr's age at death at around 70 years.