The first meeting of the new season of Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society (D&G Heritage) showcased a captivating talk by Cat Irving, the curator of Edinburgh’s Surgeon’s Hall Museum. Irving’s presentation, titled “Bloody Knives and Body Snatchers: the Rise of Surgery in Edinburgh,” delved into the historical evolution of surgery in the city. Despite the ghoulish nature of the topic, Irving’s lecture was both informative and engaging as she traced the transformation of surgeons from mere technicians performing amputations to esteemed medical practitioners.
In her talk, Irving highlighted the early practices of surgery, where procedures were carried out without anaesthetic until the mid-19th century, often by surgeons who also worked as barbers. The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, founded in 1505, played a significant role in the training of physicians through body dissections. Public dissections were a spectacle where select individuals could witness the intricacies of the human body, albeit using bodies of criminals obtained through illicit means by body snatchers due to a shortage of corpses for anatomical study.
The infamous duo of William Burke and William Hare exploited this demand for bodies by committing murders and selling the corpses to anatomists. Burke, ultimately hanged for his crimes, had his skeleton preserved and is still on display at the Surgeon’s Hall Museum. Irving also touched on the advancements in 19th-century surgery, notably the development of anaesthetics and anti-infection procedures spearheaded by pioneers like Sir James Young Simpson and Joseph Lister.
Following the insightful presentation, members of the society gathered for a post-talk discussion over tea and biscuits. The upcoming meeting, scheduled for October 25, will feature Johnny Burks and John Martin discussing their two-decade study of pine martens in Galloway Forest Park. The Society encourages participation in its online events via Zoom and provides further information on its website and Facebook page for those interested in exploring more historical and natural topics.