Iron mortsafe, United Kingdom, 1801-1822 Bodies for dissection
were in short supply in the early 1800s as only executed
criminals could be dissected legally. In the United Kingdom,
body-snatchers – also known as ‘resurrectionists’ – robbed the
graves of the newly deceased, often in the middle of the night,
and then sold the corpses on to anatomists. Those that could
afford them might have chosen to use heavy iron mortsafes such
as this one to protect coffins and their occupants. First
appearing around 1816, they came in a range of designs. In this
example, the sheer weight of the lid was expected to put off
even the most desperate body-snatcher. Related Themes and Topics
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Techniques and Technologies: A branch of medical science
concerned with the structure of living organisms. The cutting
apart and separation of body tissues for the purposes of
critical examination. Dissection of corpses is often carried out
for the study of anatomy. A stone or iron vault