BODY SNATCHING Meaning and
Definition
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Body snatching refers to the surreptitious act of stealing corpses from graves or other burial sites, typically for the purposes of medical research, dissection, or anatomical study. This illicit activity dates back to the ancient world, but it gained prominence during the 18th and 19th centuries, when the demand for human cadavers for scientific and educational purposes surpassed the legal supply.
Body snatching was driven by various factors, including a scarcity of corpses for anatomical study due to legal restrictions, an increasing demand for medical research and education, and the emerging field of human anatomy. Grave robbers, also known as resurrectionists or resurrection-men, were employed or acted independently to obtain corpses from fresh burial sites. They would often choose unguarded or isolated graveyards and subsequently dig up the corpse, usually at night, using various tools like shovels and hooks.
The stolen bodies were then swiftly transported to medical institutions or sold to anatomists, who dissected them for scientific purposes. Due to its clandestine nature, body snatching often invoked fearful reactions from society. This led to a variety of countermeasures, such as the formation of burial clubs, the use of mortsafes (protective ironwork around graves), and the hiring of watchmen to guard burial grounds and prevent the theft of bodies.
With the enactment of legislation allowing for the legal supply of corpses for medical research, body snatching eventually declined. However, the historical significance of body snatching lies in its connections to advancements in medical science, the shaping of anatomical knowledge, and the ethical challenges it posed regarding the treatment of the deceased and their families.
Common Misspellings for BODY SNATCHING
- bodysnatching
- vody snatching
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Etymology of BODY SNATCHING
The word "body snatching" originates from the late 18th to early 19th century, during a time when the study of anatomy was crucial for medical advancements. "Body snatching" refers to the act of secretly disinterring recently buried corpses for the purpose of selling them to anatomists, who needed cadavers for dissection and research.
The term itself is a compound word, combining "body" and "snatching". "Body" refers to a deceased human or animal, while "snatching" comes from the verb "to snatch" meaning to seize or take something swiftly or by force. Consequently, "body snatching" implies the clandestine act of quickly taking a corpse without authorization or legal consent.
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