Archaeology and Bioarchaeology of Anatomical Dissection at a Nineteenth-Century Army Hospital in San Francisco

Edited by P. Willey, Peter Gavette, Eric J. Bartelink, and Colleen F. Milligan

Original Price: $90.00

Discount Price: $45.00

Use Code AU1122

In 2010, a pit containing over 4,000 human skeletal elements was discovered at the site of the former Army hospital at Point San Jose in San Francisco. Local archaeologists determined that the bones, which were found alongside medical waste artifacts from the hospital, were remains from anatomical dissections conducted in the 1870s. As no records of these dissections exist, this volume turns to historical, archaeological, and bioarchaeological analysis to understand the function of the pit and the identities of the people represented in it. In these essays, contributors show how the remains discovered are postmortem manifestations of social inequality, evidence that nineteenth-century surgical and anatomical research benefited from and perpetuated structural violence against marginalized individuals.

“Represents an impressive use of modern forensic and bioarchaeological methods to reveal a great deal of important information about American history during the post-Civil War period, particularly as it relates to the history of medicine. Nuanced, sensitive, and reflective.”—Debra Martin, coeditor of Bioarchaeology of Frontiers and Borderlands

“A fascinating and exhaustive analysis of anatomized remains and their role in nineteenth-century medical practice. A must-read for anyone interested in histories of medicine and regimes of knowledge, structural inequality, and critical reflections on the future of the discipline.”—Meredith Reifschneider, San Francisco State University

“Provides a wide-ranging overview of this discovery of dissected human skeletal remains. In addition to expert analyses of the human remains and associated artifacts, historical sleuthing reveals details about the Army surgeon whose dissections and autopsies most likely produced the medical waste pit.”—Thomas A. Crist, Utica University

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Discount valid until November 30, 2022.

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