American Body Snatchers

At the beginning of the 19th century, physicians teaching anatomy in New England medical schools expected students to have hands-on experience with cadavers. As the only bodies that could be dissected legally were convicted murderers, this led to a lack of sufficient bodies for study. These doctors and their students 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.

Richard S. Ross III is a retired college librarian and professor emeritus from Trinity College. His scholarly interests include 19th- and 20th-century German history. He lives in Broad Brook (East Windsor), Connecticut.

Richard S. Ross III
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 250
Bibliographic Info: 25 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9501-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5262-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vii

Preface 1

Introduction 3

1. Merchandising the Dead 9

2. Dr. Thomas Sewall of Chebacco 25

3. “Witnessing angels sorrowfully turned their faces aside” 35

4. “A prodigious bustle” at Dartmouth 51

5. The Yale Medical School Riot 61

6. The Connecticut Anatomy Laws of 1824 and 1833 77

7. Under the Dark Vermont Moon 93

8. Grave Robbing Comes to Washington, D.C. 110

9. The Diary of a Body Snatcher in the District of Columbia 131

10. The Heyday of Body Snatching in the Nation’s Capital 152

11. Observations on the Victimization of Blacks, the Poor, and Immigrants 168

Conclusion 189

Chapter Notes 203

Bibliography 229

Index 239