ABSTRACT
Most readers probably know nothing of the Anatomy Act of 1832. It is an obscure piece of legislation, and there are few reasons why anyone should have come across it, or, having done so, why they should expend any great effort on it. Most standard histories of medicine either ignore it altogether or refer to it only in passing; and, considering how much there is to say about the history of medicine as a whole, it is probably not too surprising that the Anatomy Act should hitherto have received little attention. The Act is no more than a footnote in medical history. Yet I hope to show that it is an important footnote.
