Letter to the Lord Advocate, disclosing the accomplices, secrets, and other facts relative to the late murders : with a correct account of the manner in which the anatomical schools are supplied with subjects / by the Echo of Surgeons Square.

  • Echo of Surgeons Square.
Date:
1829
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Letter to the Lord Advocate, disclosing the accomplices, secrets, and other facts relative to the late murders : with a correct account of the manner in which the anatomical schools are supplied with subjects / by the Echo of Surgeons Square. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    supposed to be disintered, or otherwise, was ac- tually in the possession of Burke or Hare, why not instead of placing a policeman as a watch over their motions? I say, why should not a warrant have been granted to search the pre- mises ? If this had been done, it might have been the means of saving many victims that afterwards fell into the hands of these blood- thirsty miscreants. It may be asked, how could the authorities prove that the individuals were murdered ? seeing that even our profes- sors of anatomy could not perceive any thing like external marks of violence, or symptoms of an internal nature, to lead them for a mo- ment to suppose that the subjects heretofore brought by Burke and Hare had met with a premature death. I am inclined to think that this part of the mystery has been overlooked, not by any means imputing any blame to Dr K or his assistants. But, Tyro, as I am on matters of anatomy, I have always been led to consider that suffocation or strangula- tion causes the blood to flow to the head, con- sequerdly makes the face of a strong livid co- lour, with a small discharge of blood from the mouth, nose, and ears. Now, as most of the subjects produced by Burke and Hare had suf- B