ANATOMY
The National Museum Of Scotland’s latest exhibition pokes around in Edinburgh’s anatomical past. Megan Merino gingerly draws back a mortcloth on the ethical complexities of medical advancement
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t may now be internationally known for its annual arts celebrations, but back in the late 18 th century, Edinburgh was world-famous for a very different type of theatre. The city’s medical school was a renowned destination for aspiring doctors to learn their craft, with many going on to make significant contributions in the world of surgery and anatomical study. The N ational Museum Of Scotland’s new exhibition, A natom y: A M atter O f D eath A nd L if e, explores the relationship between society, poverty, ethics and science over a 5 00-year period, highlighting the capital’s position as a pioneering centre of modern medicine and how it earned this status. ‘The study of anatomy at that time (and now) was considered important for the education of medical practitioners, surgeons and physicians,’ explains D r Tacye Phillipson, the museum’s Senior Curator Of Science who was heavily involved in curating the exhibition. ‘However, this work relied on the dissection of bodies, the sourcing of which was often controversial and distressing. Anatomists could only get the quantity of bodies they wanted through dehumanising the dead and financing a murky industry. urder was a particularly shocking consequence of this, with people killed for the sale price of their bodies.’ She is, of course, referencing the infamous 1828 Burke and Hare murders, where 16 people were killed so their bodies could be sold to D r Robert Knox, a hitherto distinguished anatomy lecturer in Edinburgh, for seven to ten pounds a pop. The circumstances that gave rise to Burke and Hare’s nefarious actions are explored in this exhibition through some of the intriguing objects designed to stop resurrectionists from bodysnatching. These include a curious coffin collar handed in to the museum 120 years ago by an unknown source, and a kg iron mortsafe that would have housed an entire coffin. The latter ended up being the trickiest item to prepare for display. ‘It has required trigonometry, model making and lots of head scratching! ’ insists D iana de Bellaigue, the museum’s Artefact Conservator. Handling such sensitive material wasn’t just physically taxing; ensuring it was displayed in an ethical manner was a central challenge for the curators. ‘The whole of the exhibition covers such powerful topics that don’t need added sensationalism,’ says Phillipson. ‘We stuck to what could be supported by evidence, and especially where we could reveal the story through real objects.’ As a prime example, William Burke’s full skeleton is the only semblance of human remains on display. ‘Human remains have their own strong impact and ethical considerations, especially the remains of people whose bodies were probably dug up by grave robbers,’ continues Phillipson. ‘By limiting our display of actual human remains to Burke’s skeleton (and a note written in his blood), we anticipate that this will be particularly thought-provoking and impactful for our visitors. It should lead some to think about exactly this question of displaying such historic anatomical specimens.’ Elsewhere, dissections of specimens and references to the human body are e plored through animal bones, anatomical figures, and sketches by eonardo da inci and other uropean artists. ‘I hope the story people will find in all this
18 THE LIST July–August 2022
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