HUMAN DISSECTION IN SCOTLAND-AD. 1500 TO 1958 165 



who she was. When Burke and Hare were asked where the body 

 w^as obtained, the reply ^vas that it had been purchased from an 

 old woman living near Canongate. During life, Mary Patterson 

 had been an extremely good looking girl, with well-shaped limbs 

 and figure. Knox was impressed with these features, so much so, 

 that he preserved the body for three months in alcohol and in- 

 vited an artist to sketch it. Robert Louis Stevenson, in his tale, 

 The Body Snatchers, used her as an important character. 



Another case was that of James Wilson, better known as 

 "Daft Jamie," w^ho was a wandering imbecile. In spite of this 

 psychological condition, he was well-known and a favorite with 

 all, including medical students, because of his kind and generous 

 heart. There w^as no belligerence in his make-up and he had 

 never been known to defend himself, in spite of his nineteen 

 years of age. This was taken advantage of by boys half his age 

 and size. One of the common sights of the city was to see him in 

 full flight before a group of youngsters. He knew some facts 

 that no other w^as cognizant of, such as the number of lamps in 

 the city. This must have taken some detective work on his part. 

 He was also clever with little conundrums. "In what month of 

 the year do the ladies talk the least?" His answer was, "The month 

 of February because there wiz least days in it!" Another of his 

 questions was, "Why is a jailer like a musician?" His reply, "Be- 

 cause he must take care of his key." Deserting his mother at the 

 age of nine, he had eked out a living as best he could, being de- 

 pendent upon the mercy and pity of the town's people. Liquor was 

 something that he liked, but there was rarely enough money in 

 his pockets to satisfy his thirst (Guttmacher, '35). 



Mrs. Hare entered the picture in this drama. She accosted 

 Daft Jamie on the street and was successful in getting him to 

 follow her to the boardinghouse, as it wasn't his nature to be 

 suspicious of adults; in general, he had found them sympathetic. 

 She offered him a drink, which was first refused but later accepted, 

 along with many others, until he was partly inebriated. Burke and 

 ^^ Hare, who had been summoned, found that he put up a terrific 

 ^■struggle, both because he was naturally strong and not entirely 

 ^K intoxicated; he was finally smothered and his body delivered to 



