Dissection on Display: Cadavers, Anatomists, and Public Spectacle

by Christine Quigley

Since Herophilus, the "father of anatomy," performed the first public human dissection in the third century B.C.E., audiences have been spellbound by the cutting apart of cadavers. This volume traces the past and present of public dissection, from Herophilus's first cuts to the revival of anatomy as entertainment through spectacles like Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds , including the attacks on anatomy in the Middle Ages, the influence of Renaissance anatomist Andreas Vesalius, the procurement of bodies through execution and body snatchers, and the withdrawal of dissectors behind medical school doors in the early 20th century. It reveals that the anatomical spectacle is not new, but has remained in the gray area between education and entertainment for centuries.

Genres: Death

216 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

Chris Quigley has been reviewing morbid books since receiving an MA in 2007 from Georgetown University, where she has worked since 1986. As of June 2009, she is on long-term disability leave. She delivered the keynote address at the first Museum of Funeral Customs symposium (Springfield, Illinois), consulted with the producers of the National Geographic Channel’s Mummy Road Show, and authored five morbid books of her own - Death Dictionary, The Corpse, Modern Mummies, Skulls and Skeletons, and Conjoined Twins - all published by McFarland & Co.

Reviews

[Jaymee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly good introduction on the history of dissections for the curious, but not so much for the academic. For the latter, Helen MacDonald offers a better, well-researched text. Still, the information here is enough to satiate one's curiosity, and give you some nice conversation starters!