Suzie Grogan The Glamorous Life of a Surgeon Apothecary 1750-1850 

My guest today is fellow Pen & Sword author, Suzie Grogan. Suzie’s written three books now but it is her second book, Death, Disease and Dissection that we’re really focusing on in this episode. 

Join me as our chat turns to the world of medical history and the life of a surgeon-apothecary in the mid 18th and 19th Century. 

We don't forget the body snatching in this episode and look at it from a slightly different angle than usual. 

*Listener discretion is advised at the beginning of this episode 

1:12   Introduction & how a murder inspired Suzie’s first book ‘Shell-Shocked Britain’

5:07   The Structure of the medical profession

9:42   The varied work of a Surgeon - Apothecary: From rolling pills to lancing abscesses 

11:40  Inside the 19th century dissecting room 

14:07  John Keats as a Medical student

14:22  Druin Burch ‘Digging Up The Dead’ & accounts of 19th dissecting rooms 

15:12  The horrors of cross-contamination & germs in the dissecting room 

19:09  Digging deeper into the life of a 19th century medical student

19:36  Students providing cadavers for dissection & anatomists relationship with body snatchers     

23:16  I’m asked a surprise question on the total number of cadavers stolen

24:19  The value of the human body at the time of the Anatomy Act   

26:13  The fear of being dissected 

27:03  The glamorous life of the Surgeon - Apothecary 

29:37  Quack Doctors

30:48  We dive back into the subject of body snatching

33:41  Keats: His medical notebook & time as a medical student

39:18  The influence of medicine on Keates poetry

40:50  Suzie’s thoughts on body snatching & its importance in medical history

43:39  How to find more from my guest, Suzie Grogan 

Books & Resources Mentioned In This Episode Include:

Ruth Richardson ‘Death, Dissection & the Destitute’ 

Druin Burch ‘Digging Up The Dead’ 

E.S Thompson The Gem Flockheart Series (Vol 1: Beloved Poison) 

The British Newspaper Archive 

Suzie’s Book (In Order Of Publication) 

Shell Shocked Britain

Death, Disease & Dissection 

John Keats: Poetry, Life & Landscape 

You can Follow Suzie On Social Media 

Twitter

Facebook 

Website 

Want a mid-week fix of all things body snatching? Then head on over to my blog at diggingup1800.com

Twitter @Diggingup1800

Instagram @Diggingup1800

Facebook @Diggingup1800

In this episode, I’m joined by fellow body snatching enthusiast Chris Woodyard, author of the popular series Haunted Ohio as well as the fabulous ‘The Victorian Book of the Dead’.

We get down to the basics of body snatching and compare the practice between Britain and America and for us two, nothing is off limits!

From repurposing clothes from cadavers to the 'Coffin Torpedo' and everything in between!

All the gory details can be found at: 

2:37    How to take a body out of the grave

4:42    Digging up putrid cadavers & what to do with the grave clothes

8:09    Body snatchers and their side hustles 

9:00    Packing cadavers ready for shipping & a trunk murder  

17:33  Body snatching prevention, the ‘Coffin Torpedo’ & how to get a body out of the grave

28:46  The snatching of Senator John Scott Harrison 

34:18  Punishments for body snatching & the role of the anatomists

38:50  The anatomists & their relationship with body snatchers 

39:08  William Cunningham aka ‘Old Cunny’ & his ‘apprentice’ Charles Keaton

42:20  Anatomy Riots & Anatomy Acts

44:22 Chris’ favourite body snatchers including an American burking Case    

49:58 A final Body snatching legend to finish with 

Books Mentioned In This Episode

• Brian Bailey: The Diary of a Resurrectionist 
• Curt Dalton: Body Snatching in Ohio
• Ruth Richardson: Death, Dissection & The Destitute
• Michael Sappol:  A Traffic in Dead Bodies

If you’d like to read about Waterloo Teeth head over to my website for the post  Waterloo Teeth: A History of Georgian Dentures 

For more on the Liverpool Body Snatching Scandal of 1826, listen to Episode 2 of the podcast or head over to my blog where you can read the story in full and see the accompanying pictures. 

Want to follow Chris and find out what she’s up to? 

You can follow Chris on Twitter and Facebook 

Chris’ fantastic website Haunted Ohio Books will keep you hooked for hours!  

Chris is also the author of the Haunted Ohio Book Series and fabulous  ‘The VIctorian Book of The Dead’

Want a mid-week fix of all things body snatching? Then head on over to my blog at diggingup1800.com

Twitter @Diggingup1800
Instagram @Diggingup1800
Facebook @Diggingup1800

This episode is slightly different as I take a look at the story of a female body snatcher based just outside of Edinburgh.

Women didn't often get as involved in the body snatching trade, and so it's quite unusual to find a case where the woman has carried out such a prominent role.
 
Our story today takes us back to 1829 and to the parish of Lasswade in Midlothian, where  Helen Miller, a lady once married to a body snatcher, turned informant and started offering a helping hand to the body snatchers of Edinburgh.

Links: 

• Read more about the story of one of Edinburgh’s most famous body snatchers ‘Merry Andrew’ 
• Find out about mortstones as a form of body snatching prevention
• You can also see the story of Helen Miller on my website
• Discover more stories in Scottish Bodysnatchers: True Accounts by Norman Adams
• Go exploring with Geoff Holder’s Scottish Bodysnatchers: A Gazetteer

Want a mid-week fix of all things body snatching? Then head on over to my blog at diggingup1800.com

Twitter @Diggingup1800
Instagram @Diggingup1800
Facebook @Diggingup1800