Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men: excavations in the 19th-century burial ground of the London Hospital, 2006
Resource type
Book
Creator (person)
Fowler, Louise
Powers, Natasha
Date published
2012
Abstract
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. Doctors, dissection and resurrection men, was a major exhibition at the Museum of London in 2012-13.
Publisher
MOLA
Place of publication
London, UK
Rights statement
In Copyright