Did anyone find the chapter about the grave robbers rather random? I have no idea why that was there. Did I miss something?

16 likes · like
9 years ago
9 answers

To answer questions about The Underground Railroad, please sign up.

Dorothy That was the Dr that Cora saw who suggested that she try permanent birth control. I guess it was his origin story and showed just how terrible he really was. Maybe it was meant to illustrate how even people from the North still didn't want the slaves to be entirely free either.

flag

Anthony I found the focus not so much on the grave robbers themselves, but on how the medical profession was in dire straights to continue their study of the human body after death for future remedies in the name of science, and due to high costs and the lack of bodies gifted by the families for medical research resorted to the robbing of graves for the needed bodies. The driving and somewhat ironic issue was that in life the negroes who were killed or died more often were seen as less than human while alive , but in death became equal to that of whites in the eyes of the research community.

flag

Marta Carrasco

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

flag

Dale Tepper I saw the irony that it took death for those colored people of Boston to be of value and then that same Dr. who had learned from their bodies went on to mutilate black women. Horrific!

flag

Andrea Totally. I found several 'scenes' like this. Completely random and not really adding much to the story at all. I actually took a star off for this.

flag

Chris O'malley Ummm. I thought the point was made that only when they were dead blacks were equal to whites. Further, the white man continued to use them even after death.

flag

Diane Armstrong Who knew there were so many uninformed, careless readers? So many of the questions and answers are shocking.

flag

Josephine Briggs No. This is what was done in these times. Doctors had to learn about the workings of the body and this was the only way they could. Right or wrong, this is the way it was or had to be.

flag