Burke and Hare: The Year of the Ghouls

by Brian Bailey

'My Lord, You are aware that, at this moment, the public feeling is strongly excited against the perpetrators of the late foul and cold blooded murders that have taken place in the very centre of a populous and civilised city . . . Your Lordship is aware, that in all civilized nations, blood calls for blood . . .'

From ' Letter to the Lord Advocate . . . By The Echo of Surgeons' Square'

Early nineteenth century Edinburgh was gripped by fear of body snatchers. New graves were constantly under threat from unscrupulous ghouls keen to profit from the medical school's voracious appetite for corpses. In 1828, Burke and Hare, a pair of opportunistic low-lives, took the practice to a new extreme. They murdered at least 16 innocent victims, including a 12-year-old boy, in the name of medical science - and the freshness of the corpses they delivered for dissection earned them extra money.

The names of Burke and Hare have become synonymous with body-snatching, but the true details of their crimes have been obscured by mythology and questions still surround the case. In Enlightenment Edinburgh, how were Burke and Hare able to carry on their repulsive and murderous trade undetected for so long? Why was only one of the homicidal due brought to justice? And what were the roles of Burke and Hare's common-law wives, the medical students who took delivery of the corpses and Dr Robert Knox, the distinguished teacher of anatomy whose dissecting table was the final resting place of the unfortunate victims?

Bailey reveals a sordid side to a society which was famed for its intellectual and progressive thinking, yet depended on predatory criminals for the advance of medical knowledge. In this compulsive and absorbing book, the evidence is thoroughly re-examined - and startling conclusions are reached.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History, Crime, Medical

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Ярослава · Rating 4 out of 5]

Це – опис історичного випадку, на якому заснований “The Body Snatcher” Стівенсона.
Отже, 1820-ті, Единбург – важливий центр медичної освіти, але трупи для анатомічних лекцій і далі легально добути проблематично.
Один із найвидатніших педагогів, такий собі Доктор Нокс, не тільки ім’я має, як головне зло у фільмі за коміксами – а й виглядає так само: “Knox presented a stiff upright figure, balding prematurely, with powerful shoulders and long arms. He had lost his left eye, which had atrophied as a result of smallpox in his infancy, leaving an empty socket. His students naturally nicknamed him ‘Old Cyclops’. [...] He was flamboyant in his dress, with gold chains, diamond rings and embroidered waistcoats, all of which served to distract attention from his ravaged features. ‘Knox,’ said his biographer, ‘in the highest style of fashion, with spotless linen, frill, and lace, and jewellery redolent of a duchess’s boudoir, standing in a classroom amid osseous forms, cadavera, and decaying mortalities, was a sight to behold, and one assuredly never to be forgotten.” Поведінкою теж намагається відповідати цьому високому образу: щоб забезпечити студентів належною кількістю трупів для розтинів, платить за трупи більше, ніж усі колеги, і не ставить зайвих питань, навіть коли трупи приносять із явними слідами насильницької смерті. Цим користаються такі собі Берк & Гер, які мордують і здають на розтин 16 осіб. Питання до провенансу, так би мовити, їхнього товару постають майже одразу – скажімо, хтось зі студентів упізнає замордовану проститутку, яка, з його досвіду, от щойно була жива і здорова – але доктор Нокс все одно не ставить постачальникам зайвих питань, а красиву вбиту дівчину наказує помістити у скляну банку всім на огляд і на радість (автор пише: “Necrophilia, it seems, superseded medical science for a time on Dr Knox’s premises”). І так триває цілий академічний рік, доки Берк & Гер не пускаються берегів здорового глузду остаточно. Їх арештовують, Берка страчують і теж пускають на розтин, а доктор Нокс продовжує бути найуспішнішим викладачем медицини в Единбурзі, геппі енд, отака правдива готична жахалочка.

(Книжка містить також тогочасні документи, пов’язані зі справою – зізнання, полемічні трактати і т.д.)

[Maykla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars- this was a great insight to the crimes committed by Burke and Hare. I would like to give it the full 5 stars, but it got a bit repetitive at times.

Bar the murder victims, nobody was truly innocent but these crimes did become a necessary evil for modern medicine. It does make you think if Knox and other anatomists did rely on resurrection men or murders, where would we be today?

[Alethea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explored the infamous murder spree of Burke and Hare in Edinburgh in 1828; these two men murdered sixteen people in order to earn money from anatomists looking for fresh bodies for teaching purposes. Prior to reading this, I had only heard tales of B&H, and I was surprised to find that their reputation as “resurrection men” or “graverobbers” is entirely untrue. They never bothered to dig up corpses; they simply killed the most convenient victims. I also believed that both B&H were executed for their crimes. However, Hare turned King’s Evidence, told all about Burke’s being the lead murderer; only Burke was hanged. Hare then was released entirely free of any punishment for his part in these serial murders. The writer was a bit choppy in his style, but the essential facts were well-presented.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well researched and fascinating look at the story of Burke and Hare, which engages with contemporary evidence and various theorists and yet maintains a horror narrative feel - at least for the most part.
It does tend to get a little repetitive and include whole sources in the appendix is a bit much as the author does a thorough job in quoting from them throughout the book.

[Elizabeth Judd Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually a 3.5 (c'mon, goodreads, let us give half stars...!)...
This is basically just a straight account of the murders committed by Burke and Hare and the trial of Burke. It's not a bad book, just a fairly basic one (though the Appendices at the end are interesting). Not one to read if you are looking for any analysis of the bigger picture, but a decent book nevertheless.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry, but quite informative

[Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

don't usually read non-fiction books, was more to try and borrow on new ereader from the library.It is interesting, but I found it at times a little bit confusing. Still I read it all and it's ok.

[Laura Weck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgot I read this until I started reading the Dickensian book by Sheri Holman called The Dress Lodger and so glad I had as I understand the hysteria of the time. Both excellent reads

[Arjun · Rating 4 out of 5]

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