The Anatomy Cadaver Crisis

In 1827, Edinburgh faced a significant shortage of cadavers for medical students due to the city's status as a hub for anatomical study. This scarcity led to the gruesome actions of William Burke and William Hare, who identified a lucrative opportunity in selling human bodies to medical schools. As medical education grew, so did the demand for cadavers, creating a burgeoning black market. Burke and Hare began by selling the bodies of deceased individuals from Hare's overcrowded lodging house, finding that the law allowed them to do so without penalty.