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鈥檚 most brilliant anatomist and surgeon rarely interfered with her 鈥渁t homes鈥�, dinners and dances. And for many guests the highlight of a visit was a look at the latest addition to Hunter鈥檚 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 one of its most fascinating men. Wendy Moore鈥檚 romp through Hunter鈥檚 extraordinary life as The Knife Man should send you rushing to the revamped Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England to see Hunter鈥檚 collection in the flesh. Highlights of both include the giant鈥檚 bones, the professor鈥檚 testicle and the unmissable archbishop鈥檚 rectum.
The Knife Man
Bantam
