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Quiz about The Macabre Profession of Body Snatching

The Macabre Profession of Body Snatching Quiz

Body snatching was the practice of disinterring the recently deceased for sale to medical schools so that student doctors could study anatomy. What do you know about this unusual profession?

A multiple-choice quiz by dcpddc478. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
dcpddc478

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
323,745

Updated
Oct 26 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
784

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Why did British body snatchers make sure to strip the corpse of all clothing and jewelry and leave it behind in the coffin? Hint

They believed that these objects carried disease.

Theft of the clothing or jewels was a much more serious crime.

They left these objects behind as gifts to God.

The corpse was much easier to carry if it was not clothed.

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Question 2 of 10

2. During the 18th and 19th century in Great Britain, a criminal could receive a sentence of "death and dissection".

True

False

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which of the following was a reason that the Potters Fields were pilfered from the most? Hint

Surgeons wanted only the bodies of the wealthy.

It was less of a crime to take a corpse from these cemeteries.

Graves were much shallower.

They had fewer tree roots to get in the way.

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Question 4 of 10

4. Many people would keep the body of a deceased family member in the home for three days so that body snatchers would not attempt to steal them from the grave after interment.

True

False

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Question 5 of 10

5. Two of the most infamous body snatchers were the Irishmen Burke and Hare who lived in the early 19th century. But this folklore is not correct for which reason? Hint

They were found innocent at trial.

They were actually doctors who bought corpses.

They murdered the corpses that they sold.

They were fictional characters.

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which American president had his father's body taken from the grave by body snatchers? Hint

James Garfield

George Washington

Benjamin Harrison

John Kennedy

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which type of dead bodies brought in the best prices? Hint

Medical curiosities and pregnant women

Wealthy men and medical curiosities

Pregnant women and infants

Schizophrenics and infants

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which of the following choices could cause a major fluctuation in the price paid for the recently deceased? Hint

Churches in the area

Religion of the deceased

Weather in the area

Birthplace of the deceased

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Question 9 of 10

9. In 1884 what famous Scottish author published the book "The Body Snatcher" with thinly disguised references to Burke and Hare? Hint

Charles Dickens

Archibald Alison

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Robert Louis Stevenson

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Question 10 of 10

10. A common name for someone who engaged in the profession of body snatching was which of the following? Hint

Resurrectionist

Revivalist

Reservist

Reductionist

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Why did British body snatchers make sure to strip the corpse of all clothing and jewelry and leave it behind in the coffin?

Answer: Theft of the clothing or jewels was a much more serious crime.

Theft of a corpse was a misdemeanor and in some places not a crime at all. Theft of the clothing or jewels was a serious offence that could result in lengthy prison sentences or transportation to Australia.

2. During the 18th and 19th century in Great Britain, a criminal could receive a sentence of "death and dissection".

Answer: True

This was a sentence that was saved for those who committed the most heinous of crimes. Those who were sentenced to death only, would pay family and/or friends to claim their bodies immediately after the sentence was carried out so that the body snatchers would not get their bodies and sell them to the medical schools.

3. Which of the following was a reason that the Potters Fields were pilfered from the most?

Answer: Graves were much shallower.

Potters Fields were the cemeteries where the poor, the unclaimed, and the criminals were buried. Their graves were much more shallow and the coffin (if there was one) was much easier to break into.

4. Many people would keep the body of a deceased family member in the home for three days so that body snatchers would not attempt to steal them from the grave after interment.

Answer: True

Medical schools needed the freshest bodies they could get. Usually after three days, a body was safe because putrefaction had set in rendering the body useless for dissection.

5. Two of the most infamous body snatchers were the Irishmen Burke and Hare who lived in the early 19th century. But this folklore is not correct for which reason?

Answer: They murdered the corpses that they sold.

Burke and Hare were not true body snatchers because they murdered the 16 corpses that they sold to Doctor Robert Knox. Burke was found guilty and was hanged and dissected. Hare was granted immunity for his testimony and he faded into obscurity.

6. Which American president had his father's body taken from the grave by body snatchers?

Answer: Benjamin Harrison

John Scott Harrison, the son of one president (William Henry Harrison) and the father of President Benjamin Harrison died in North Bend, Ohio in 1878. The day after his burial his body was found by one of his sons at the Ohio Medical College hanging from a rope, ready for dissection.

7. Which type of dead bodies brought in the best prices?

Answer: Medical curiosities and pregnant women

Pregnant women and medical curiosities brought a prime price for body snatchers. Pregnant women allowed the surgeons being trained to learn obstetrics. This was at a time when many women died in childbirth. Medical curiosities brought the very best prices.

In the 1780s, the enormous sum of 500 pounds was paid for the body of an Irishman who suffered from gigantism. His skeleton still stands on display at the Royal College of Surgeons' Museum in London!

8. Which of the following choices could cause a major fluctuation in the price paid for the recently deceased?

Answer: Weather in the area

Weather had a major affect. If it was temperate, fewer people died and so fewer were available for dissection. If it was extremely cold, the ground could be very hard to dig in. The best weather was rain as it made the ground easier to dig in. Prices for a body varied greatly.

9. In 1884 what famous Scottish author published the book "The Body Snatcher" with thinly disguised references to Burke and Hare?

Answer: Robert Louis Stevenson

"The Body Snatcher" was written by Robert Louis Stevenson to mixed reviews. There have also been many movies made using this book as their basis.

10. A common name for someone who engaged in the profession of body snatching was which of the following?

Answer: Resurrectionist

The correct choice is Resurrectionist. It was an allusion to the rising of the body from the grave.

Source: Author dcpddc478

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