The previous chapter traced the passage of legislation addressing the issues raised by surgeons and anatomists, outlined the perceived shortage of bodies and the anxiety over criminality, and reviewed the resulting reaction of those most at risk from the provisions of the Anatomy Act. The promises of an increased supply of cadavers were not realized evenly across the anatomy schools. The passing of the Anatomy Act did not lead immediately to the freeing up of large numbers of cadavers despite the concern expressed by the poor. The Act allowed for the use of the unclaimed poor and caused much anxiety within vulnerable groups, but it had to be adopted and enforced and this was certainly not guaranteed. Poor law authorities were oft en reluctant to give up bodies and preferred to bury workhouse residents.

The perceived shortage of cadavers allowed the eventual dominance of medical education by hospital medical schools supplied by their own mortuaries. The inability of the smaller (and cheaper) schools to compete in access to bodies led ultimately to their demise. The private schools also found it difficult to compete due to the metropolitan bias of the Royal College of Surgeons. Much of this chapter will focus on the decline of independent medical schools in Manchester and the failure of the university medical school in Oxford.

This chapter aims to examine cadaver supply and shortage through an extensive analysis of the Anatomy Inspectorate records, illustrating the importance of the relationship between competing schools and the Anatomy Inspector.