Body snatchers sold to private surgeons and doctors, but the best money and most timely payments came from actual universities and schools of anatomy. So it wasn’t just shadey barber surgeons that were in on this, it was reputable seats of learning too. Leonardo da Vinci is thought to have illegally dissected as many as 30 corpses himself, so even top class men were embroiled in this body snatching business.
Prices received for a nice fresh cadaver varied wildly in this thriving black-market. A 15 strong gang of resurrectionists in Lambeth used to receive two guineas and a crown for a dead body, six shillings for the first foot, and nine pence per inch thereafter. That’s a pretty good whack, a manservant to a wealthy household would earn just one guinea per week back then so this was a good income for a short job. A good resurrectionist could exhume a body in less than half an hour. In 1828 prices ranged from 2 to 14 guineas, and in times of shortage prices would sky-rocket.
☛ More Corpses: Ma’nene: Dressing Up 100 Year Old Corpses
