David Octavius Hill & Robert Adamson

Dr Robert Knox, 1791 - 1862. Surgeon, anatomist and ethnologist [a]

About this artwork

The leading teacher of anatomy in the 1820s, Dr Knox is best known today for his implication in the murders carried out by Burke and Hare, the most notorious in Scottish history. They had sold the bodies of their victims to Knox for use in dissections at his anatomy school. He was never prosecuted, but was eventually forced to leave Edinburgh under public pressure and unable to attract classes to his lectures. He died in London where he is buried in an unmarked grave.

Updated before 2020

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David Octavius Hill

David Octavius Hill