HISC 116 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Body Snatching, Gallows, Anatomy Act 1832
Document Summary
Thomas southwood smith: jeremy bentham"s doctor, devoted utilitarian, unitarian minister, public health official, physician, great business of life is to spread knowledge on how to decrease suffering and increase happiness. The use of the dead for the living : pamphlet written by smith, proposal to dissect those who died within london but were buried at the public"s expense. They are appropriated to this service, not because they are poor, but because they are friendless : cost-benefit analysis. Benefits are potentially infinite because knowledge of human anatomy can save countless lives. Nearly no costs because public does not have to finance public burials and surgeons have legal rights to claim untaken bodies. John hunter: scottish surgeon, created a great method for operating on aneurisms. Learned from a series of operations and dissections: paid a body snatcher for the remains of charles byrne, the irish giant .
