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By Barbara McAlister
Word of the Day: Burke
A BBC commentary on the riots in Washington D.C. stated that the demonstrations and vandalism that occurred on Jan. 6 was a result of leaders who “who tried to burke the will of the people.” “Burke” is a verb that means “smother or suppress,” coined from the name of William Burke, half of the infamous bodysnatching duo of Burke and Hare who murdered unsuspecting lodgers in 1828 Scotland.
Edinburgh was a leading center of medical study in the 19th century, where Scottish law required that cadavers used in medical research could only be legally obtained from prisoners who died, suicide victims or orphans. A shortage of the legal supply of corpses lead to the growing industry of bodysnatching and individuals called “resurrection men” who dug up freshly buried corpses to sell for research. Rather than go to the trouble of digging up dead bodies, Burke circumvented the step for fresh cadavers and suffocated lone tenants as they slept at his friend Hare’s boarding house. It was good money in a time when money was hard to come by and at least 16 murders were attributed to the pair.
When a fellow lodger became suspicious and reported their activities to the police, Hare turned king’s evidence against his former partner, got off free and vanished from history. Burke was hanged and publicly dissected at the Anatomical Museum of Edinburgh Medical School. Some of his skin was removed and tanned for grisly souvenirs for those who wanted a bit of Burke. His skeleton remains on view at the Anatomical Museum of Edinburgh Medical School today.
