The Disappearing Spoon: The Anatomy Riots

<p>In the 1700s human dissection was a big taboo—people feared that it would leave their bodies mangled on Judgment Day, when God would raise the dead. As a result, government officials banned most dissections. This led to some unintended consequences, most notably a shortage of bodies for anatomists to dissect. To meet the heightened demand, a new profession emerged: grave-robbers. These so-called resurrectionists dug up the bodies of poor people to sell to anatomists, which led to riots in the streets.</p> <h2>Credits</h2> <p>Host: <a href="https://samkean.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://samkean.com/">Sam Kean</a><br /> Senior Producer: <a href= "https://www.sciencehistory.org/profile/mariel-carr" data-cke-saved-href= "https://www.sciencehistory.org/profile/mariel-carr">Mariel Carr</a><br /> Producer: <a href= "https://www.sciencehistory.org/profile/rigoberto-hernandez" data-cke-saved-href= "https://www.sciencehistory.org/profile/rigoberto-hernandez">Rigoberto Hernandez</a><br /> Audio Engineer: <a href="https://www.podbrain.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href= "https://www.podbrain.org/">Jonathan Pfeffer</a></p>