Glasgow resurrectionists

Abstract

The Napoleonic Wars and the colonial campaigns of the early 1800s created a great need for surgical training. Many of the cadavers used in Glasgow's schools of Anatomy were resurrected from local churchyards or imported from Ireland. In the 1820s, the activities of some resurrectionists showed gross insensitivity, with bodies being stolen before the funeral. In the early 1830s, cholera riots and the fear of "burking" led to the Anatomy Bill of 1832 receiving the Royal Assent.