Ireland's lost property: an exploration of the Anatomy Act in London, 1828-1907

Abstract

This thesis examines how individuals who ‘belonged to Ireland’ in life became the property of London anatomists when dead. It explores the social effects of the Anatomy Act (1832) on Irish men, women and children who lived and died in London between c.1832 and 1907. The Anatomy Act sought to improve the supply of human cadavers for medical dissection in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland by sanctioning the sale of unclaimed bodies from workhouses, hospitals, prisons and asylums to licensed anatomists.

This thesis argues that previous studies have largely dismissed ethnicity as a key factor when examining the individuals who were anatomised. The fact that the Irish remain largely overlooked is surprising given the volume of evidence that suggests that a sizable proportion of those who provided the basis for medical education in London were Irish migrants. An examination into the implementation and workings of the 1832 Anatomy Act through the lens of ethnicity makes this study distinct. The question of why they became ‘the dissected’ is addressed by collating information from a cross-section of thousands of individuals, establishing details about the person’s life experiences prior to death, and exploring how this related to their posthumous treatment. By using a post-mortem treatment to expose different ways the Irish endeavoured to survive and express their identity in an alien environment, this work hopes to stimulate further research into a neglected area of Irish diaspora history that focuses on death. The aim is to present a nuanced account of the lost property of individual lives and show that each dissected corpse tells a different story.

Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2029.

Date of Award	Jul 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	Northern Ireland Department for the Economy
Supervisor	Olwen Purdue (Supervisor), Elaine Farrell (Supervisor) & Sophie Cooper (Supervisor)