DISSECTION IN MEDICAL SCHOOLS OF NEW ENGLAND 209 



One of the many obituaries written after Holmes' death in 

 1894, which reveals a part of his character, was published as an 

 editorial in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal of that 

 year. A part of it is quoted as follows: "He grew old so quietly, 

 so sensibly, so judiciously, so gracefully, that it was difficult for 

 those in occasional contact with him to realize that he was a 

 very old man" (Editorial, 1894). 



B. Berkshire Medical CoUege-A.D. 1823 to 1869 



The chief rival of Harvard, during the early medical history 

 of Massachusetts, was considered to be Berkshire Medical Col- 

 lege, located in the western part of the state at Pittsfield. It 

 survived for forty-six years. The founding of that institution was 

 made difficult due to an incident which happened in 1820. In 

 that year, the body of George Butler, Jr. was stolen from a local 

 grave under circumstances unknown. The citizens, on hearing of 

 it, arose en masse and demanded that the offender be duly pun- 

 ished. With this event fresh in everyone's mind, the school was 

 established with some apprehension. 



During the years of its survival, it was generally believed 

 that all cemeteries in the immediate vicinity were periodically 

 invaded by resurrectionists, both amateur and professional. At 

 first, the trustees of the medical school did everything possible 

 to assure the public that preserved anatomical parts and a course 

 in comparative anatomy furnished excellent substitutions for fresh 

 dissections. Apparently, the populace adjusted to the situation so 

 that human anatomies were eventually carried on with the sup- 

 port, financial as well as moral, of the townspeople. One thousand 

 one hundred thirty-eight physicians were graduated from this 

 institution but it had to close its doors in 1869 due to lack of 

 clinical facilities (Norwood, '44). 



C. Castleton Medical College-A.D. 1818 to 1861 



I In January of 1824, the Board of Trustees at Castleton 

 il^edical College in Vermont publicized a resolution that no sub- 

 ects removed from cemeteries within the county would be used 

 or the teaching of anatomy. It stated that the supply would be 



