Grave Disturbances - A History of the Body Snatchers (Hardcover)

Rest in peace - a hollow phrase when the body snatchers descended on the graveyard once the mourners had left and, crowbars at the ready, brutally pulled out the deceased, carting the body off under darkness to where it would be dissected by surgeons and their students before the remains were casually disposed of. For many decades in Britain, prior to 1832, this was commonplace - and all in the name of medical science. Such were the rewards from surgeons and anatomists in need of specimens to dissect, that a new type of criminal was bred. Mass murderers, such as Burke and Hare actually killed to supply the trade. How many ancient, peaceful graves across the country lie empty, their erstwhile occupants long since removed by the body snatchers?