What I’m Reading – The Body Snatcher

*Spoilers*

I recently finished reading The Body Snatcher, a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson written in 1884. The story is based on the real-life story of the Burke and Hare murders. In 1828 in Scotland, William Burke and William Hare committed 16 murders in the span of about 10 months. They sold the corpses to Robert Knox to dissect at his popular anatomy lectures. The short story also inspired a 1945 horror movie, The Body Snatcher, starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.

The story starts at a parlor where the main character, Fettes, is having a drink with friends. Fettes is an older man and an idle drunk. He has medical knowledge and helps people around town, but not much is known about him. That night, he hears a well-known London doctor, Wolfe Macfarlane, is in town. The name is so familiar to him that he confronts the doctor. After their strange and violent interaction, the story goes into the past to reveal the mystery of Fettes.

Fettes was a smart and ambitious medical student of the well-known Mr. K, who dissected bodies and gave lectures on anatomy. Mr. K noticed how smart and hard-working Fettes was, and soon, Fettes was a sub-assistant in the class. As the sub-assistant, Fettes had to interact with the men supplying Mr. K with the bodies for class. He would take the bodies, pay the men, and try to forget about the sordid interactions.

Fettes didn’t enjoy that part of the class, but he thought that working with Mr. K would advance his career and ambitions as an aspiring doctor. One night, the body that was delivered was a woman Fettes knew, and she was healthy the day before; the only possibility for her death was murder. He talked with the assistant of Mr. K, a doctor named Wolfe Macfarlane. He told Fettes to forget about it; how the bodies got to them was none of their business. It would be best if they kept their mouths shut…..

The story continues with more murder and Fettes and Macfarlane getting bodies for the demanding Mr. K. And one night, after digging up a body, a strange, horrifying experience brings all their sins crashing down on them.

The story has themes of lost humanity, the dangers of unrestrained ambition, and what happens when one lacks remorse for one’s sins.

The story is creepy, and its true-story basis makes it even creepier. It is definitely a good read for a Halloween night.

Rating: 8/10