ANATOMY xix
anatomical material in vogue in those days (an address delivered at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, November 7, 1850) :
"Material for dissection was scarce, and could only be obtained by individual enterprise, and in many such, now happily by the existing state of things, rendered unnecessary to your advancement in knowledge, have I been engaged. I well remember on one occasion driving, in dis- guise, a cart containing eleven subjects, from the old Potter's field burying ground, sitting on the subjects, and proud enough of my trophies; but we were not always so fortunate, being on many occasions discovered and pursued, and obliged to leave our spoils behind us, with only our hard labor for our pains. One little incident of the times, also, occurs to me. A German, who had been hung, was given to the college for dissection, and, with the colored porter, I went in a carriage in the evening to get the body. My other associate was a Dr. Buchanan, a Scotchman, and pro- fessor of obstetrics in the college, residing in the city.
"On calling at his rooms to take him up, I found him arranging his pistols, and complaining of feeling very agueish, and with difficulty per- suaded him to proceed. The night was cold, and on arriving on the ground, the doctor's ague increased so rapidly and his valor oozed, like Bob Acres', in "The Rivals," so freely from the tips of his fingers, that he decided to return home, begging strongly for the use of the carriage, which I peremptorily refused him. With great difficulty we exhumed the body, but then my colored associate also deserted me, declaring he could not touch the subject, on account of his having been hung. I had, therefore, to lug the body, attired in its white robes, by my own strength, to the carriage — for I had great strength in those days — and partly by force and partly by menaces, compelled the man to assist me in getting the body into the carriage — and what was still more difficult, to get in along with it, so thoroughly was he terrified. On arriving at the college, I found my valorous associate slowly recovering from his ague fit, by the aid of a strong glass of brandy toddy, and deeply lamenting his inability to assist me on the occasion.
"At this time I was demonstrator of anatomy to Dr. Post, a fact which may account for some of my zeal in these resurrection adventures. I made, gratuitously, all the dissections for the course of anatomy and surgery, on which latter subject, by the way, I should observe, that only twelve lectures were delivered on practical matters, and the operations not performed before the class. A strong contrast, gentlemen, to the thorough manner in which surgery is taught at the present day. As to the Museum, it was contained in two rooms, one small, for wet, and one large, for dry preparations, and was well supplied. Most of the speci- mens Dr. Post brought with him from Europe, and the rest were furnished by the zeal of the students and alumni. There are even now in your
