Chapter 1: Revolutionary Figures in Obstetrics

In May 1754, anatomist John Hunter found himself examining the decomposing body of a pregnant woman. As he meticulously extracted the placenta, he discovered a complex network of arteries and veins, revealing connections that had long eluded medical understanding. Contrary to centuries of belief that maternal and fetal blood supplies were interconnected, Hunter's observations illustrated that, while the vessels were in close proximity, they never actually merged. This groundbreaking insight would significantly alter the field of obstetrics.

However, the true credit for this discovery was claimed by his superior, William Smellie. Today, mentioning either William Smellie (1697–1763) or William Hunter (1718–1783) typically elicits admiration from gynecologists.

In the Georgian era of eighteenth-century London, William Smellie earned acclaim as a leading physician, famously known as the "Master of British Midwifery." He pioneered the use of forceps to assist in breech deliveries and invented several instruments that contributed to lowering infant mortality rates. Similarly, William Hunter had a distinguished career, starting as a male midwife before earning his medical degree from the University of Glasgow. He authored key publications, including his notable work, The Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus, which explored the complexities of the uterus and fetus. Additionally, Hunter served as the physician to Queen Charlotte and played a role in the delivery of the future King George IV.

However, beyond their medical achievements, both Hunter and Smellie had aspirations that extended into the realm of anatomical research. Their atlases illustrated dissections of over 30 pregnant women at various stages of pregnancy, most of whom did not die during childbirth but rather in the course of their pregnancies. This distinction raised suspicions among historians centuries later.

Chapter 2: The Controversy of Body Snatching

The dissections featured in The Gravid Uterus were largely conducted by Colin Mackenzie and John Hunter, William's younger brother, renowned for his surgical prowess. However, his insatiable curiosity led him to partake in a grim practice of the time—body snatching.

In the early eighteenth century, acquiring cadavers was a part of every anatomist's duties. In Scotland, physicians and their inebriated aides often resorted to using crowbars and shovels to dig up fresh bodies. Families went as far as encasing coffins in iron cages, known as mort-safes, to thwart these thieves.

During this period, only the bodies of executed criminals could be legally dissected, but this did not deter "Resurrectionists," who profited from stealing corpses and selling them to medical professionals. One of John Hunter's journal entries reflects the callousness with which he acquired bodies: "Sept 1758. In this Autumn we got a stout Man for the Muscles from St George's ground." Muscular bodies were particularly sought after for their ease of study.