The operation, which took place on April 2, 2007 at the University Hospital of Strasbourg, in which Marescaux and team removed the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) of a patient through the vagina using a flexible endoscope without making an incision in the skin was believed to be the first operation operation of its kind. "Anubis was the ancient god in Egyptian mythology who presided over mummification and accompanied the dead to the hereafter. Anubis restored Osiris to life through mummification using long, flexible instruments. The project was named after this reference" (from the press release available from the Institut de Recherche contre les Cancers de l'Appraeil Digestif (IRCAD) at this link.