Abstract
This project is an exploration into the cultural and sociological intricacies of 18th century London that allowed for and even necessitated the practice of the procurement of human bodies via public execution, grave robbing, and murder in the name of medicine. This uncommon glance at medicine examines aspects such as economic benefits of the black market activities of body purchasing and grave robbing by the medical profession, how the social hierarchy (and, inherently, religion) of pre-modern London played into corpse selection, and the juxtaposition of the attainment of corpses by medical professionals to the regulation of social order. This exploration ends by coming full circle, suggesting that in the 21st century there exists similar circumstances that allow for humans, both alive and deceased, to be used for spectacle in the name of medicine.
Faculty Sponsors
Edwin Stieve, Ph.D., Joyce Avotri-Wuaku, Ph.D.
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-10-2015 1:00 PM
End Date
4-10-2015 5:30 PM
Hangings and Body Snatchings: The Exploitation of Humans in 18th Century London in the Name of Medicine
Alvin Sherman Library
This project is an exploration into the cultural and sociological intricacies of 18th century London that allowed for and even necessitated the practice of the procurement of human bodies via public execution, grave robbing, and murder in the name of medicine. This uncommon glance at medicine examines aspects such as economic benefits of the black market activities of body purchasing and grave robbing by the medical profession, how the social hierarchy (and, inherently, religion) of pre-modern London played into corpse selection, and the juxtaposition of the attainment of corpses by medical professionals to the regulation of social order. This exploration ends by coming full circle, suggesting that in the 21st century there exists similar circumstances that allow for humans, both alive and deceased, to be used for spectacle in the name of medicine.
