William Burke wood carbing at the white hart inn pub edinburgh scotland
The Burke and Hare murders (occasionally referred to as the West Port murders) were perpetrated in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1827 and 1828 primarily by William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses of their 17 victims to the Edinburgh Medical College for dissection. Their principal customer was doctor Robert Knox. Their accomplices included Burke's mistress, Helen MacDougal, and Hare's wife, Margaret Hare. [1] Before 1832, an insufficient supply of legitimate cadavers was available for the study and teaching of anatomy in British medical schools. As medical science began to flourish in the early 19th century, demand rose sharply, but at the same time, the only legal supply of cadavers - the bodies of executed criminals - was falling due to a sharp reduction in the execution rate in the early 19th century, as compared with the 18th century, brought about by the repeal of the Bloody Code. This situation attracted criminal elements who were willing to obtain specimens by any means. The activities of body-snatchers (also called resurrectionists) gave rise to particular public fear and revulsion.
Size: 3558px × 5315px
Photo credit: © Jean-Christophe Godet / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: burke, carving, edinburgh, hart, inn, pub, scotland, white, william, wood
