British Literature Research Paper. Medical laws during the 19th century

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How Medical Schools in England and Scotland Obtained Cadavers in The 19th Century?
Introduction
The rise in the significance of surgeries generated plenty of interest in human anatomy during the 19th century. This situation led to an expansion of medical schools in England and Scotland to satisfy this need. The result was an increased demand for cadavers. The corpses became important for medical researchers to gain a deeper understanding of human anatomy. This insight was necessary to conduct successful surgeries. In England and Scotland, cadavers became a goldmine and soon demand exceeded supply giving rise to certain unethical practices to obtain cadavers (Hutton 44). This paper takes a look at the prevailing medical laws during this period and some of the underhand methods medical schools used to obtain cadavers for their medical research.
Medical laws during the 19th century
Previously in the 18th century, the British law that is the Murder Act 1752 allowed medical schools to use the remains of executed criminals in their study of anatomy. However, the growth of medicine led to pressure from the medical society to change this law. Key figures who advocated for this change included, Henry Cline, Benjamin Brodie, Charles Bell, John Abernethy, among others. This movement led to the enactment of the Anatomy Act 1832, which was meant to bring sanity in the anatomical dissection of cadavers. The law introduced licensing of anatomy practitioners through the office of the Home secretary.
Medical school teachers were required to take a license that ensures proper management of corpses within their institutions. The home secretary also used inspectors who guaranteed that any corpse dissected is accounted for and kept tabs on the actions of these licensed teachers (Hutton 71). This move was meant to prevent the illegitimate use of cadavers. The Anatomy Act of 1832 meant to increase the supply of cadavers to medical schools in England and Scotland. A primary focus was to ensure those cadavers were not obtained illegally. However, the act still received plenty of criticism with many opposing the dissecting of human bodies for anatomical studies. (Hutton 90). The common fear of the dead may have caused some to view dissection of the body as mutilation.
Sourcing of Cadavers by medical schools in the 19th century
As discussed above, the 19th century witnessed a surge in demand for cadavers for medical research. It is important to note that medical schools had to search for corpses; there were no voluntary donations of dead bodies. This situation led to some unethical practices by medical schools to meet their demand for cadavers. The following part will discuss the practices of medical schools in England and Scotland to satisfy their demand for cadavers. Executed criminals provided a legitimate source of cadavers for medical schools in the 19th century. However, one challenge was there were not enough executions to supply medical schools for anatomical dissections.
When the government tried increasing the number of offenses punishable by execution to over 200, there was resistance in executing these criminals. Further, courts would also reduce the ma...