During our busy February 1825, some body-snatchers found ways to obtain cadavers without going through the bother of digging them up. Read more in Coffin Filled with Stones, with thanks to @threadinburgh.scot for images and info on Jamaica Street,
burkeandhare.substack.com/p/coffin-fil...

What a busy month for body-snatchers was February 1825! Resurrection-men didn't work alone: they relied on friends and accomplices to help them retrieve cadavers. Find out more in burkeandhare.substack.com/p/body-snatc...

and

burkeandhare.substack.com/p/body-snatc...

Artist's conception of Carlo Ferrari, killed for dissection, wellcomecollection.org/works/atnk92e5, @wellcomecollection.bsky.social
If London surgeons had stopped purchasing cadavers from Bishop and May in 1825, would Carlo Ferrari had lived to see his 15th birthday?

An 1825 appearance of well-known body-snatchers John Bishop and James May in the British Newspaper Archive, substack.com/home/post/p-..., for fans of @misssarahwise.bsky.social The Italian Boy: A Tale of Murder and Body Snatching in 1830s London.

February is...Body Snatching Month? In February 1825, colder weather combined with ongoing medical school classes led to an uptick in activity by Resurrection-Men. The first incident took place at the notorious burial-ground, Dublin's Bully's Acre, burkeandhare.substack.com/p/resurrecti....

An unusual legal defense: "I heard the sounds of horns and trumpets, and I thought the Resurrection Men were after me..." Read more about Charles Lynn's murder of his friend Abraham Hogg, January 1825: substack.com/home/post/p-...

Could the "eminent practical anatomist" involved have been Dr. James Syme, FRCSEd, later Prof of Clinical Surgery? The advantage of surgery over anatomy is that patients actually consent to surgical procedures, no matter how awful they appear (wellcomecollection.org/works/ujdpu8...) ...(3/3)

Here's the report from The Scotsman, which often carried news from the Edinburgh Police Court. It's a great resource for local history (2/3)...

In Edinburgh, an assault on anatomists! Or was it an affray?
In late December 1824, this peaceful scene was disrupted by an angry mob attempting to demolish the coach of an "eminent anatomist," believing it carried cadavers for dissection. Find out more... (1/3) substack.com/home/post/p-...

Were you wondering who sent two dead bodies from Dublin to Shrewsbury? The Bristol Mirror reported that it was a "medical student" from St. Barts, London. But was it an ordinary student? Or someone in the shadowy body trade? substack.com/inbox/post/1...

Or did they?
Were the Resurrection-Men truly responsible for William Millar's ordeal? Or was it a cover-up to excuse his own transgressions?
The Scotsman was quick to weigh in -- but were they protecting the anatomy trade? (Story at substack.com/home/post/p-...).

...And here's part 2. Stay tuned as the story unfolds...

OOOPS! I should report the name of my young hero correctly: It's William Millar, and his occupation was as a slater. Here's part 1 of the account...

The Resurrection-Men Did It!
How peaceful the scene of the Union Canal near Edinburgh, pictured below! Yet how dastardly the deed when young William Slater was abducted by -- curiously direction-challenged -- Resurrection Men in December 1824...
Read full story here: substack.com/home/post/p-...

An extraordinary occurrence in Shrewsbury, December 1824! Two boxes arrived by parcel post, but when opened, they were found to contained two bodies: of a man near 70 years old, and of a woman about 50.
The purpose was presumed to be anatomical dissection.
Stay tuned, investigation is ongoing.

Welcome to The True and Horrid Story of Burke and Hare, 200th Anniversary Edition! In this series, I'll be counting down until the bicentennial of the Burke and Hare anatomy murders in 2027-8.
For more info see my website The Worlds of Burke and Hare (burkeandhare.com) or substack.com/@burkeandhare