The study of anatomy in England from 1700 to the early 20th century - PubMed (original) (raw)

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The study of anatomy in England from 1700 to the early 20th century

Piers D Mitchell et al. J Anat. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

The study of anatomy in England during the 18th and 19th century has become infamous for bodysnatching from graveyards to provide a sufficient supply of cadavers. However, recent discoveries have improved our understanding of how and why anatomy was studied during the enlightenment, and allow us to see the context in which dissection of the human body took place. Excavations of infirmary burial grounds and medical school cemeteries, study of hospital archives, and analysis of the content of surviving anatomical collections in medical museums enables us to re-evaluate the field from a fresh perspective. The pathway from a death in poverty, sale of the corpse to body dealer, dissection by anatomist or medical student, and either the disposal and burial of the remains or preservation of teaching specimens that survive today in medical museums is a complex and fascinating one.

© 2011 The Authors. Journal of Anatomy © 2011 Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

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Figures

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

The interior of a dissecting-room, probably based on that of William Hunter, ca. 1780. Lithograph after an original drawing by Thomas Rowlandson. Wellcome Library, London.

Fig. 2

Fig. 2

Sacrum and lumbar vertebrae from the Newcastle Infirmary burial ground, transected in the sagittal plane suggesting their earlier use in anatomical dissection.

Fig. 3

Fig. 3

Reconstruction of the interior of John Hunter's house and anatomy school in Leicester Square, London, ca. 1790, by John Ronayne (2005). The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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