American Body Snatchers: Merchandising the Dead in 19th Century New England and Washington, D.C.

At the beginning of the 19th century, New England physicians teaching anatomy in their medical schools expected students to have hands-on experience with cadavers. The only bodies that could be dissected legally were convicted murderers, and this led to a lack of sufficient bodies for study. Doctors and their students in both the established and newly emerging medical schools of 19th century New England turned to removing the dead from graveyards and cemeteries for dissection. The first medical school in Washington, D.C. was founded in 1825, headed by a Massachusetts physician convicted of body snatching, and made the practice commonplace in the area.

This history of body snatching in the 19th century focuses on medical schools in New England and Washington, D.C., along with the religious, moral, and social objections during the time. With research from contemporary newspapers, medical articles, and university archives, topics such as state anatomy laws and their effects on doctors, students, and the poor--who were the usual victims--are covered, as are perceptions of physicians and medical schools by the local communities.

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