The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-05-12
.lN Tnn aaoar1Y oLD TnIEs.
Grcvsome troubles OF 4 Medical
Doctor Then and Now.

~|""I"hA -" = ~'-'"" 4"
Exactly how the little medical de.
partment oflha College d Philadel.
pliia Oh UnlSersify Of Pennsylvania
iirst procured bod es for dissection
before On William stippen became
lthe professor of surgery and anat.
orny Is probably not known. SAYS the
philadelphia Bulletin. Doubtless
the Pottef's Field was drawn Upon
Chiefly; possibly an obscure grave
yard was occasionally opened But
at one tineiln shippen's career he
became particular object Of the
prejudice and!the horror Of many Of
the people. II was believed that he
/ especially Instructed his students IN
ways and means OF body-snatehing,
that his rooms were filled with
cadayers and that no grave was safe
against his predatory plans. Twas
further suspected that he kept watts
in which be disposed Of the bones
and fragments Of the bodies, and
there was a superstition which asso-
ctated these imaginary receptaeles
With such deeds as Macbeth's
witches performed when they gath
cred around the -cauldron. The doc
tors assurance, that he made use
only of the cSrpses Of animals and
suicides was received with incredul-
ity. Finally the report was started
that he had been, digging into the
graves In chlrchyards. 1t excited
the special wrath OF the sailors in
the city. because they supposed that
some offtheirdea comrades were in
danger, and q mob was formed to
deal with Shipper by sacking his
house. His property was saved from
spoilatlon. but he found 1t necessary
to appesse Unpopular clamor by ex-
planning some of his habits as dis
sector. at has given DR.. Shipper
much pain, be, said, writing in the
third person in a public card, ito
hear that, Notwithstanding all the
care and caution he has taken to
preserve the utmost decency in
opening ana disseeting dead ooaies'
which he has persevered in chiefly
from the motive OF being usetul 10
mankind, some eyll-mlnaed persons
either wantonly or maliciously, have
reported to his disadvantage that he
has taken up some persons VINO are
buried In the church burying
grounds,which has distressed the
minds Of his worthy tellow5citizens.
The doctor, with much pleasure I'M
proves this opportunity 70 declare
that the report is absolutely raise
and to assure them that the bodies
he dissected we're either Of persons
who had wiltully murdered them-
selves or were publicly executed, ex-
cept one now aud then from Potters
Field whose death vas owing 10
some particular disease, and that ne
never had one body from the church
or any private burial place. Long
afterward, however, u was stated
that when the building IN which
Shipper instructed MS anatomical
classes was torn down and the
ground next 70 1t was dug into, the
workmen found that It had been
used as graveyard,
But few Of the Instructors in anat-
omy at the university, or IN after
years at the Jenerson' or. at least
those who held their places for a
long time, escaped entirely some
form Of the prejudice which Shipper
had to encounter Among the ne
groes twas a superstition IN almost
every household. 1t is said that they
would walk far out OF their way at
night time in order to avoid WASH
ington Square when IT was Potters