YOU might not fancy John Hunter as a housemate, but while he took delivery of bodies in baskets, or dissected a corpse in a back room, his wife happily entertained guests in the drawing room. The gruesome activities of the 18th century’s most brilliant anatomist and surgeon rarely interfered with her “at homes”, dinners and dances. And for many guests the highlight of a visit was a look at the latest addition to Hunter’s collection of pickled parts from past patients or bones from a criminal hanged at Tyburn.
Ghoulish? Well, the 18th century was like that, and Hunter was…
