Peter Christie
Published:
8:00 AM January 17, 2021
St Peter s Churchyard in the centre of Barnstaple at around 1860, the scene for crimes of bodysnatching in times past
- Credit: Contributed
Today medical schools have ample supplies of human bodies to train their students with as attitudes towards religion and death and the sanctity of the body have changed.
In the past, however, surgeons could legally only dissect the bodies of hanged murderers – and there were never enough of these to meet the demand.
Criminals realised there was money to be made and disinterment of the newly buried dead from graveyards (bodysnatching) became a lucrative trade .