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Burials for Workhouse deaths

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  • Burials for Workhouse deaths

    Thought I would open this topic up, following on from a thread in the general discussion board, regarding the Secrets of the Workhouse programme last night on tv.

    Apparently, from the Anatomy Act of 1832, to pay back the debt an inmate owed to society for care in life, sometimes their body was sent for vivisection and dissection for science, if the family could not afford to take the body away for burial.

    Does anyone have any information about this and how a decision was made for a paupers burial by the workhouse or body going for science research? Thanks.

    Amanda
    Last edited by Guest; 26-06-13, 12:50.

  • #2
    No not vivisection! that means experimenting on a living organism!

    I have no specific knowledge but would imagine that the science research option would only have been practical where the workhouse was near a university or teaching hospital - ie in a few big cities.
    Last edited by JudithM; 26-06-13, 13:29.
    Judith passed away in October 2018

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    • #3
      Believe the parish buried them in paupers graves unless family claimed them. If there was a teaching hospital close to the workhouse and they requested some bodies for their students to practice on then no doubt the authorities gave their permission but I doubt whether it was wholesale ie all bodies being offered to the hospital.

      Looking at the register of the death of the man there were quite a few in their 70's and 80's that died around the same time.

      You also have to remember that the workhouse doubled as a hospital and care home for the old and infirm and I have quite a few that when the death was registered gave a different address from the workhouse where they died. Also if you look at your local hospital you'll probably find out that it started life as a workhouse.



      Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

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      • #4
        Found this on wikipedia

        part of the article says:-
        The Act, provided for the needs of physicians, surgeons and students by giving them legal access to corpses that were unclaimed after death, in particular those who died in prison or the workhouse. Further, a person could donate their next of kin's corpse in exchange for burial at the expense of the donee.

        But i was really surprised by the information given last night and also the photos shown of the dissecting room. usually there is a warning before the programme of unsettling images.
        Angelina

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        • #5
          Originally posted by JudithM View Post
          No not vivisection! that means experimenting on a living organism!

          I have no specific knowledge but would imagine that the science research option would only have been practical where the workhouse was near a university or teaching hospital - ie in a few big cities.
          Well, that's right, Judith! - but I think I remember vivisection was mentioned last night. Will rewatch and check!

          Amanda

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          • #6
            I don't think this practice was as widespread as last night's programme made out. Many workhouses also had burial grounds attached to them, although obviously not those in dense urban areas.

            "Unclaimed after death" sounds to me like those who had no relatives to object. Those who did have relatives, and objected, would be given a pauper's funeral if nothing else. The church was very much against post mortems and dissection and would always grant a pauper's funeral rather than this.

            OC

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            • #7
              This may be of interest. Over 50 years various Unions supplied 2,953 bodies to the Cambridge Anatomical Teaching School alone.
              Last edited by keldon; 26-06-13, 17:59.
              Phil
              historyhouse.co.uk
              Essex - family and local history.

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              • #8
                Keldon

                What an interesting article, thankyou. It does seem that there was some illegal activity going on as well as the "above-board" transfer of bodies, nor was it absolutely every pauper who finished up on the dissecting table.

                OC

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                • #9
                  Thank you for putting that article up here -it explains so much to me.


                  just realised thats 5 bodies a month! a definite industry.
                  Last edited by angelina; 26-06-13, 19:05. Reason: thought of something else
                  Angelina

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                  • #10
                    Reminds me of Dick Van Veltsen carrying off baby parts about 20 years ago in Liverpool, he asked the parents for tissue samples for research purposes and ended up with hearts lungs and major organs stored up by thousands and parents had to have re burials for their children all gory stuff, legal or illegal it will always go on......Edna

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