resurrection man
Noun (historical): A "resurrection man" refers to a person who secretly dug up recently buried corpses in order to sell them to surgeons or medical schools for anatomical dissection. This term was used primarily in Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries, before the legalization of body donation or the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research.
- (A person who illegally exhumed corpses for sale to anatomists.)
- (Medical professionals used these grave robbers for dissection material.)
"To act as a resurrection man": to engage in the illegal trade of body snatching.
- He was known to act as a resurrection man for the local medical college, supplying bodies under cover of darkness. (He illegally procured corpses for dissection.)
Historical context: The practice arose because the only legal source of cadavers for anatomy was the bodies of executed criminals, which were insufficient for medical training. Resurrection men often worked in gangs and used tools like wooden shovels to avoid noise.
Resurrectionist (n): a synonym for resurrection man; also refers to a person who believes in or advocates for the resurrection of the dead.
- The resurrectionist was caught red-handed with a stolen corpse. (A grave robber.)
Body snatcher (n): a more general term for someone who steals bodies from graves.
- Body snatchers were common in the 19th century, supplying medical schools. (Grave robbers.)
- Grave robber: a person who steals valuables or bodies from graves.
- Body snatcher: a person who unlawfully removes corpses from burial sites.
- Anatomy murderer: a related term for criminals who killed people to sell their bodies (e.g., Burke and Hare in Scotland).
"To dig up the dead": an informal phrase meaning to engage in grave robbing or to revive old, unpleasant topics.
- He was accused of digging up the dead when he mentioned the scandal. (Reviving a past issue.)
"A macabre trade": an expression describing the grim business of body snatching.
- The resurrection man's macabre trade was both dangerous and profitable. (The grim occupation of grave robbing.)