Year: 1870

The Corpses OF the Poor to be Chopped up In


the Yale Medical College-rhe Bill which the


Legislature.


From the Meriden Recorder.


Our faithful correspondent in New Haven sent US
for Saturdays daily draft Of the bill before the
Legislature which In effect were it adopted, would
revive the old "Boil Up Law" Some OF our older
readers will remember something about that law
and the excitement which attended its enactment.
Old residents Of New Haven have not forgotten the
mob that assembled to tear down the Medical Col
lege where, 1t was reported, the cellars filed
with dead bodies awaiting dissection. Possibly a
similar may be enacted there should the bull
now before the Legislature pass:


The main provision OF the "Boil Up Law was
sSoSd ID be- at the expense Of the state or of snv
town within the State II no friends appear to claim
the body and give it burial, the authorities might on
application give it to the physicians for dissection
The law was very odious one, particularly to the
poor. 1t was enacted by the Democrats, and the
Wings used it very effectively against the DemOcra-
cy, pledgiDg themselves to repeal 1t when they OBJ
tained the power. The law was enacted in 1888,
Governor Ebenezer Stoddard Lieutenant Governor,
Samuel IDgham, Speaker Of the House. The next
year the Wings were successful, electing Samuel A.
Foot, Of Cheshire, Governor and, in accordance
with their promises one of their first acts was to
repeal the odious law.


The law now proposed is quite as infamous in its
character the old one and the action OF its friends
in trying to prevent the people from knowing any
thing about the measure shows that they regard
it themselves. BY it the body of any deceased per-
son whose friends are not near enough to claim it
within twenty-four hours belongs to the physicians
If the authorities are willing to give it to them and
IL the friends are near enough, but fail to make de-
mand for the body, It can be given ap for dissection
friends of a deceased person to be notified of his
death within twenty-four hours to say nothing Of
their being able to reach the state within that time,
and they might arrive just in time to have the prvi-
lege" Of witnessing the last operation the dssect
ing table. 1t might however, be great comfort"
for them to know that the humane law would allow
them to receive the sacred portions of the body upon
making polite demand on the doctors.


A Legislature which should enact such law
would be justly denounced by everybody who cares
for the fendless and the law would be used against
any political party that could have prevented its
enactment and yet failed to prevent 1t.


THE INFAMOUS BILL.


Be enacted by the Senate and House Of Representa-


tires, in General Assembly cOnUened.


Section shall be lawful in cities for the Mayors


thereof 10 deliver to the professors and teachers in
chartered medical colleges in this State and for said
professors and teachers to receive, the remains or
body OF any deceased person, for the purposes Of
medical and surgical study; provided, that said
remains shall not have been regularly inferred and
shall not have been desired for nterment, by any
relative or friend OF said deceased person, within
twenty. four hours after death provided also, that
the remains OF no person, who may be known to
have relatives or friends, shall he so delivered or
received, without the consent Of said relatives or
friends; and provided, that the remains OF
no person who shall have expressed desire In his
or her last sickness that his or her body may ill.,
TERED, shall be delivered received as aforesaid
and provided also, that in case the remains of any
person so delivered or received shall be subse-
they shall be given pto said relative or friend for
interment And 1t shall be the duty OF the said pro-
1eeSors and teachers decenty to bury the remains OF
all bodies after they shall have answered the pur-
poses of study aforesaid and for any neglect vo-
lation OF this provision of this act the party so
neglectng shall forfeit and pay penalty of not
than s25, nor more than $50.


Section 2. The remains or bodies of such persons
may be so received by the professors and teachers
aforesaid, shall be used for the purposes Of medical
and surgical study alone, in a manner consistent
with public propriety, and in this State only and
whoever shall remove such remains beyond the
limits OF this State, or in any traffic in the
same shall be deemed guilty OF a misdemeanor, and
shall, on conviction, be imprisoned for term not
exceeding one year in a county jail.