Dissection on Display: Cadavers, Anatomists and Public Spectacle - Softcover

Christine Quigley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786444290 ISBN 13: 9780786444298

Publisher: McFarland & Co, 2012

Synopsis

Since Herophilus, the ""father of anatomy,"" performed the first public human dissection in the third century B.C.E., audiences have been spellbound by the cutting apart of cadavers. This volume traces the past and present of public dissection, from Herophilus's first cuts to the revival of anatomy as entertainment through spectacles like Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds. From Italian anatomy theaters to American dissecting laboratories, it chronicles the attacks on anatomy in the Middle Ages, the influence of Renaissance anatomist Andreas Vesalius, the procurement of bodies through execution and body snatchers, and the withdrawal of dissectors behind medical school doors in the early 20th century. This history reveals that the anatomical spectacle is not new, but has remained in the gray area between education and entertainment for centuries.

About this title

About the Author

Christine Quigley is currently on leave from Georgetown University. She lives in Florida and continues to write books and articles, review books for Fortean Times, and adds daily posts to her eclectic blog at Quigley's Cabinet.

Edition details

• Publisher: McFarland & Co
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786444290
• ISBN 13: 9780786444298
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 275