The Anatomy Murders: Being the True and Spectacular History of Edinburgh's Notorious Burke and Hare and of the Man of Science Who Abetted Them in the Commission of Their Most Heinous Crimes

Lisa Rosner

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press 2010

The Anatomy Murders

Being the True and Spectacular History of Edinburgh's Notorious Burke and Hare and of the Man of Science Who Abetted Them in the Commission of Their Most Heinous Crimes

Lisa Rosner

https://doi.org/10.9783/9780812203554

Overview
Contents

About this book

Burke and Hare were the first serial killers to capture media attention, accused of killing sixteen people in order to sell their cadavers as "subjects" for dissection. The Anatomy Murders is the first book to situate their story against the social and cultural forces that were bringing early nineteenth-century England into modernity.

Author / Editor information

Lisa Rosner is Professor of History at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and author of The Most Beautiful Man in Existence: The Scandalous Life of Alexander Lesassier, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Reviews

"This book provides us with a history of 1820s Edinburgh as much as it does of the Burke and Hare murders. The sense Rosner gives her readers of time and place is extraordinarily well done. Beautifully written."—Social History of Medicine

"Lisa Rosner . . . has carried out a fascinating 'CSI' style investigation. . . . Her remarkable discoveries—told in her new book, The Anatomy Murders—[have] unraveled poignant details which bring to 'life' the personalities of some of the pair's unfortunate and, until now, largely anonymous victims."—Evening News, Edinburgh

"An engaging, readable, and comprehensive account of this famous case."—Journal of British Studies

"Rosner has delivered the definitive account in both detail and interest."—ForeWord

"Rosner's The Anatomy Murders is a welcome and valuable contribution to this field. It is the first full-length scholarly study of the Burke and Hare case, and it draws on a formidably wide range of original archival research to reveal previously unrecognized aspects of this case and to correct common misapprehensions about a number of the victims and events. Rosner's book is an impressive combination of exhaustive archival analysis and a page-turning good read."—Journal of the History of Medicine

"This will be enjoyed by true crime fans as well as British history buffs. Engaging, atmospheric, and tantalizing."—Library Journal

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction: The Burke and Hare Murders Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter One: The Corpus Delicti Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
Chapter Two: The Anatomy Wars Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	25
Chapter Three: Burking Invented Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	53
Chapter Four: Sold to Dr. Knox Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	79
Chapter Five: Based on a True Story Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	100
Chapter Six: The Dangerous Classes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	126
Chapter Seven: Anonymous Subjects Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
Chapter Eight: The Criminal Mind Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	168
Chapter Ten: Day in Court Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	212
Chapter Eleven: All That Remains Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	245
Cast of Characters Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	271
Selected Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	301
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	319
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	327

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 336
Illustrations
- Other: 20 illus.
Keywords: History; European History; World History; 35

eBook

Published: July 7, 2011
ISBN: 9780812203554