Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men

by Fowler, Louise; Powers, Natasha

• ISBN13: 9781907586132
• ISBN10: 190758613X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-11-30
• Publisher: Museum of London Archaeology Svc

Summary

In 2006, archaeological excavations in the grounds of the Royal London Hospital uncovered the remains of a burial ground used primarily for deceased but unclaimed patients. The buried population included at least 259 people who died between c 1825 and 1841. These were mostly adult and male, and many, prior to the Anatomy Act of 1832, had been dissected or subjected to autopsy; this took place alongside the vivisection of animals, including exotic species. A wealth of primary documentation is combined with the archaeological evidence to reveal the day-to-day life of the hospital and the complex relationship between medical innovation and criminal activity in the early 19th century.