Bloody Britain (2004): S01E08 – The Bodysnatchers

Introduction History Documentary hosted by Rory McGrath, published by Discovery Channel in 2004. Outline Rory McGrath investigates body snatching in 19th century London, travelling to graveyards and learning how to get a body out of a coffin. During the 17th and early 18th centuries, a grim profession emerged. A growing number of anatomists, keen to…

Andrew Marshall

15/04/2024

1–2 minutes

History, Military Documentary, Rebellion

Introduction

History Documentary hosted by Rory McGrath, published by Discovery Channel in 2004.

Outline

Rory McGrath investigates body snatching in 19th century London, travelling to graveyards and learning how to get a body out of a coffin.

During the 17th and early 18th centuries, a grim profession emerged. A growing number of anatomists, keen to improve their medical knowledge, needed corpses on which to conduct dissections, which were often done in ‘theatres’, where members of the public could pay to watch. Bodies were difficult to come by, as it was only legal to perform a dissection on the corpse of a recently executed criminal. So ‘body snatchers’, also known as ‘resurrection men’, made money by digging up fresh corpses and selling them to medical schools and hospitals.

Bloody Britain Series

You can find a full index and overview of Bloody Britain here.

Production & Filming Details

Release Date: 05 April 2004.
Running time: 30 minutes.
Rating: Unknown.
Country: UK.
Language: English.