Anatomization and Inequality at Charity Hospital Cemetery #2, New Orleans, LA (1847-1929).

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Studying Human Behavior within Cemeteries (General Sessions)" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In death, bodies that were autopsied or used for medical dissection or experimentation, are seen as transformed from individuals into specimens, their identities and personhood removed. This destructive act was commonplace across the US during the 19th century for the sake of medical advancement.  Becoming a cadaver (anatomization), was typically reserved for the poorest citizens who passed away in Almshouses and Indigent Hospitals. Charity Hospital, which operated from the 18th century until Hurricane Katrina in 2005, served New Orleans’ indigent population. The remains of many individuals who died at the hospital during the 19th century were used for medical dissection, experimentation, and autopsy. From a sample of commingled skeletal remains associated with one of the Charity Hospital cemeteries, I analyze the skeletal indicators of anatomization and inequality and explore how these individuals’ treatment in death speaks to larger trends of marginalization and structural violence against the poor during this time.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Studying Human Behavior within Cemeteries (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology