Frankenstein: Texts and Contexts

The text of the Anatomy Act of 1832 which stopped the trade in illegally procured cadavers and permitted the anatomical dissection of donated bodies.

How Cambridge University was supplied with anatomical subjects.

In this 2011 article, Peter Thorsheim looks at the efforts of sanitary officers to turn London's overcrowded graveyards into parks and green spaces.

The fragmentary history of a grave-robber who provided doctors with subjects for dissection. Contains additional material on the history of the Anatomy Act of 1832.

This King's College online exhibit looks at the notorious murder of an Italian child in London for the dissection table. It also provides links to information on the anatomical dissection of the unclaimed bodies of the poor.

An anatomy of abuses, including grave-taxes, and the disinterment and dissection of the bodies of the poor.

Although the events described here occurred after the initial publication of Frankenstein, this account provides an unparalleled view of the body trade.