Human Trafficking of Corpses Fueled Early Anatomy Studies

As the Age of Enlightenment fueled a thirst for scientific knowledge, the study of human anatomy became a cornerstone of modern medicine. To truly understand the body, physicians and students needed to perform dissections, but the legal supply of corpses—typically limited to executed criminals—was minuscule compared to the insatiable demand from burgeoning medical schools. This critical shortage created a grim and profitable opportunity for a new kind of criminal enterprise.

This underground economy was dominated by gangs of professional grave robbers, known darkly as "resurrection men" or "body snatchers." Working at night, they targeted fresh graves, as the earth was still loose and easy to dig. Their methods were efficient; they would dig a shaft down to the head of the coffin, break it open, and haul the body out with a rope, often leaving behind clothing and valuables to avoid harsher charges of felony theft. Public fear of this desecration was rampant, leading families to stand guard over the graves of loved ones and the invention of "mortsafes"—heavy iron cages built over coffins to protect the dead.

The practice became so notorious, and sometimes escalated to murder for profit as in the case of Burke and Hare, that it forced a legislative solution. The public outcry