Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1475.5

ROBERT KNOX (1791-1862) Man, his structure and physiology : popularly explained and demonstrated. H. Bailliere 1858 2nd ed. lxiii, 179 p., 8 folded leaves of plates : ill. (some col.). 20 cm.

This is the second edition (first 1857) of this attractively illustrated and popular introduction to anatomy and physiology by the noted – if somewhat infamous – Edinburgh anatomist Robert Knox. Knox believed that a knowledge of human structure and physiology was vital, thus forming the basis for a better understanding of the structure and nature of all living bodies. He therefore hoped that this elementary yet detailed introduction would encourage the reader to pursue further study in not only human anatomy, but also in the field of zoology. One of the best and most enthusiastic teachers of anatomy during the 19th century, Knox’s emphasis upon practical dissection led to his indiscreet and notorious association with the Edinburgh ‘resurrectionists’, Burke and Hare. When their crimes came to light, he was inevitably implicated, and he was savagely attacked in the literature of the day, and his effigy was burnt by the populace. Although exonerated by Burke, an influential committee of his peers – whilst clearing him of any direct knowledge of the crimes – did nevertheless accuse him of acting incautiously and of failing to ensure that his assistants properly vetted their suppliers, and thus the episode was to haunt and tarnish the rest of his career. After a series of academic disappointments, he turned his attention to ethnology and anthropology, and as the present work highlights, was to find some success in these fields, lecturing and writing upon the subject. He ended his career as a pathologist at the Brompton Cancer Hospital in London. Despite his notoriety, he was the author of several works, including an important ethnological treatise, The Races of Men of 1850 (GM 161) and his noted Manual of Artistic Anatomy of 1852 (GM 415). Knox was an anatomist who supposedly “purchased bodies for dissection from the resurrectionists/murderers, Burke and Hare” (Garrison & Morton, p.1020).

See Related Record(s): 1430

Cited references: Choulant p.349 & 357

John Martin M.D. Endowment