The Burke and Hare murders were a series of sixteen murders committed over a period of about ten months in 1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland. They were undertaken by William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses to Robert Knox for dissection at his anatomy lectures.
Burke
Hare
Graveyard watchtower, built in Dalkeith in 1827
Mortsafe in Greyfriars Kirkyard
Robert Knox was a Scottish anatomist and ethnologist best known for his involvement in the Burke and Hare murders. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Knox eventually partnered with anatomist and former teacher John Barclay and became a lecturer on anatomy in the city, where he introduced the theory of transcendental anatomy. However, Knox's incautious methods of obtaining cadavers for dissection before the passage of the Anatomy Act 1832 and disagreements with professional colleagues ruined his career in Scotland. Following these developments, he moved to London, though this did not revive his career.
Robert Knox, c. 1830
Bill advertising Knox's anatomy lectures in 1828
A modern depiction of body snatchers at work
A caricature of Dr. Knox, depicting him as a demon harvesting bodies.