History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

372 History of Medical Practice in Illinoispermanently crippled by rioters, the state histories during the 19th centuryare replete with such incidents.A step in the direction of laws that were to advance the pursuit of practicalanatomy was taken by the Legislature of New York in 1789, immediatelyfollowing the mob action, known as the "Doctor's Riot' r (1788)that wrecked Dr. Richard Bayley's dissecting room at Columbia Collegeand led to pillaging for two days until order was restored by militaryforce. 16 "An Act" was passed "to prevent the Odious Practice of digging upand removing for the Purpose of Dissection, dead Bodies interred inCemeteries or Burial Places." This law contained the provision that anyoffender convicted "of Murder, Arson, or Burglary for which he or sheshall be sentenced to suffer Death, may" at the discretion of the Courtshave the added "Judgment that the Body of such Offender shall be deliveredto a Surgeon for Dissection."The laws in this country that relate to grave-robbing have a curioushistory. In 1655, the assembly of Rhode Island decreed: "If any personshall be accused of robbing any grave if ye Corte be satisfyed of the probationof it, ye party or parties shall be fined or suffer corporal punishment,or both as ye generall Corte of tryalls shall judge." 17Massachusetts in 1692, in the days of "Witch-hunting," adopted an "Actagainst Conjugation, Witchcraft, and Dealing with Evil and WickedSpirits," which reads:people of Philadelphia, quotes W. E. Horner, to the effect: "The house was frequentlystoned, and the windows broken; and on one occasion Dr. Shippen's life was put intoimminent danger. While engaged within, the populace assembled tumultuously aroundthe house. His carriage fortunately was at the door, and the people supposing that hewas in it made their first attack there. The windows of the carriage being up, they werespeedily demolished with stones, and musket ball was shot through the body of the carriage.The coachman applied the whip to his horses and only saved himself and hisvehicle by a rapid retreat under a shower of missiles. The Doctor hearing the uproar, ascertainedits cause, and extricated himself through a private alley."— In apparent documentationof the above story, Dr. Shippen placed the following advertisement in the'Pennsylvania Gazette' for September 26, 1765: "It has given Dr. Shippen much Pain tohear that notwithstanding all the Caution and Care he has taken to preserve the utmostDecency in opening and dissecting dead Bodies, which he has perseverd in chiefly fromthe Motive of being useful to Mankind, some evil-minded Persons, either wantonly ormaliciously have reported to his Disadvantage that he has taken up some Persons whowere buried in the Church Burying Ground, which has disturbed the Minds of some ofhis worthy Fellow Citizens. The Doctor with much Pleasure, improves this Opportunityto declare that the Report is absolutely false; and to assure them that the Bodies he dissectedwere either of Persons who had wilfully murdered themselves or were publiclyexecuted, except now and then one from the Potter's field, whose Death was owing tosome particular Disease; and that he never had one Body from the Church."16 In the following year (1789), similar rioting broke out in Baltimore and the anatomicaltheater of Dr. John B. Davidge was destroyed by an incensed mob.17 Bartlett, John R.: Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.Providence, R. I., 1856.