I See Dead People

Background:

Scotland, renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, whisky, and centuries-old traditions, is currently grappling with an unexpected crisis: not enough dead bodies. Well, cadavers to be exact.

Medical schools and research institutions, which rely heavily on the donation of bodies for anatomical study and surgical practice, are facing an acute shortage that threatens to impede medical education and advancements. Some colleges have cancelled training courses because of the lack of cadavers. This scarcity has arisen due to a combination of increased demand, aging population, and the impact of the pandemic, which disrupted normal donation processes.

While the thought of a "corpse shortage" might sound like the plot of a macabre novel, it's a pressing issue with serious implications. Medical students need hands-on experience to become proficient doctors, and without sufficient donations, the quality of medical training and subsequent patient care could suffer.

Let's unearth an historical precedent that show this isn't the first time we've been in a bind over bodies. But here's hoping the solution to today's shortage isn't the same solution from years past...

Deja Vu:

The current predicament in Scotland echoes the notorious "body snatching" era of the 18th and 19th centuries. During that time, the demand for cadavers outstripped the legal supply, leading to the rise of grave robbers, or "resurrectionists," who exhumed fresh corpses and sold them to medical schools.

(You’ll see in today’s Fact that graves weren’t just robbed, they were created)

Edinburgh, a leading center of medical education, was particularly notorious for this grim trade. The situation became so dire that it inspired the Anatomy Act of 1832 in the UK. The shortage of cadavers today may not lead to midnight graveyard escapades but it could inspire innovative solutions like synthetic cadavers or virtual reality training.

Fact:

The West Port Murders took place in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 1827 and 1828. This series of heinous crimes was perpetrated by William Burke and William Hare, two Irish immigrants who turned to murder to supply fresh corpses to the medical community.

The gruesome partnership began when an elderly tenant in Hare’s lodging house died owing rent. To recoup the lost income, Hare partnered with Burke and they decided to sell the body to anatomists. Realizing the profitability of supplying bodies, Burke and Hare embarked on a killing spree.

Over the course of ten months, Burke and Hare murdered at least 16 people, although some estimates suggest the number could be higher.

Hare turned King's evidence, providing testimony against Burke in exchange for immunity. Burke was tried, convicted, and hanged on January 28, 1829. His body was publicly dissected, and his skeleton remains on display at the Anatomical Museum of the Edinburgh Medical School.

Word: Anatomy Act

A legislative measure enacted in 1832 in the United Kingdom to regulate the legal supply of cadavers for medical education and research. The act was introduced following public outrage over body snatching and the West Port murders.

Before 1832, the Murder Act 1752 stipulated that only the corpses of executed murderers could be used for dissection. By the early 19th century, the rise of medical science – coinciding with a reduction in the number of executions – had caused demand to outstrip supply.

Profile: Robert Knox (1791-1862) 

Knox was a Scottish anatomist, zoologist, and ethnologist, renowned for his contributions to the field of anatomy and his controversial involvement in the Burke and Hare murders. Born in Edinburgh, Knox was a brilliant student, eventually becoming a prominent lecturer in anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Knox's career was marred when it was discovered that he had purchased bodies from the infamous grave robbers and murderers William Burke and William Hare. Although Knox was never legally implicated in their crimes, his reputation suffered greatly, and he was ostracized by the medical community.

Knox authored several influential works on anatomy, including his comprehensive "Manual of Artistic Anatomy" (1852), which provided valuable insights into the human body's structure for both medical professionals and artists.

Timeline: Cadaver Chronology

• 3rd Century BCE: Herophilus and Erasistratus dissect human cadavers in Alexandria, Egypt. They are considered pioneers in human anatomy.

• 1315: Mondino de Liuzzi, an Italian physician, performs public dissections and writes Anathomia corporis humani, the first modern anatomical text.

• 1628: William Harvey publishes Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus (An Anatomical Exercise on the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals), using cadavers to demonstrate the circulation of blood.

• 1828: The West Port murders by Burke and Hare highlight the desperate need for cadavers and lead to public outcry over unethical practices.

• 1968: The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act is enacted in the US, standardizing the donation of bodies and organs for medical research and education across states.

• 2014: The first 3D-printed cadaver is created, providing an alternative for anatomical studies and surgical training.

Recommended Reading: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.