Call this one "when the need for health care reform met Halloween." Once again we return to Hartwick in the 1830s and '40s.
From the 2002 bicentennial book, "Hartwick: The Heart of Otsego County," in a chapter about physicians, dentists and veterinarians, came an interesting observation:
""¦ There were those who lived in the neighborhood of the Robinson Cemetery south of the village who told of strange activities taking place in the cemetery in the wee small hours of the morning. Lanterns were seen, and the sounds of digging and shovels were heard. The story may have been told to scare small children, but many old timers told it seriously. Disturbing graves to obtain cadavers was not unheard of."
Patrick MacGregor, pharmacy supervisor at The Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, would heartily agree about the cadavers. That pharmacy building was once in Hartwick at the corner of today's state Route 205 and county Route 11, next to the handsome stone house built by Dr. Paris Pray. The pharmacy, built by Pray in 1832, was moved to the museum grounds in 1951.
Dr. Freeborn G. Thrall had a medical practice on the upper floor of the pharmacy building. Thrall had become a physician in 1831, moved to Hartwick and purchased the stone house and the practice of Dr. Pray in 1835.
Dr. Thrall became well-known in the medical field. The Otsego Republican of Oct. 17, 1842, printed a notice:
"F.G. Thrall having lately fitted up an anatomical theater lighted by a skylight will give a gratuitous course of lectures on all aspects appertaining to the science of medicine with practical and ocular demonstrations on anatomy "¦ and will continue sixteen weeks and longer if necessary for the benefit of his and all other medical students who may see fit to attend "¦ Good board can be obtained at the village for $1.50 per week."
Therefore, Dr. Thrall needed a supply of cadavers. Where might he get them? There were means of obtaining them, some properly, and some that were downright gruesome.
"There were no indications of where the bodies were coming from," said MacGregor, who has done extensive research on the pharmacy building and Dr. Thrall. MacGregor feels that Dr. Thrall did a lot of "looking the other way" when it came to some of the means of getting bodies.
"If you died during that time period in a mental institution, prison or a poor house, or you didn't have any family, it was a totally legal means of coming across bodies," MacGregor said. "A lot of times those institutions would apparently sell them."
Body snatching was somewhat common in that time period, MacGregor said. "If you were a poor person and were placed in a cemetery, the chances of your staying in that cemetery were not the greatest." Some people would watch for burials at cemeteries and would go in after dark. In most cases they could pull a body from a grave in less than 20 minutes. Those of better means would often hire a grave guard for about three weeks after the burial to prevent the thievery. After that time the body would be of no use for medical research.
In Scotland and England, selling dead bodies became a lucrative business, as there was a market for them in medical schools. People who did this were called "resurrectionists," or in slang, "sack 'em up men." William Burke and William Hare were notorious in Scotland for not only grave robbing but murders as well. "There were street gangs in England that would basically divide up towns and access the cemeteries," MacGregor said. "Medical schools were required' to buy, or else the doctors would endure consequences."
If they refused, the gangs would drop a body on their doorstep, which stirred up plenty of controversy in a community.
Stories like these, the history of Halloween and plenty of other visual surprises will be featured on guided lantern lit tours in the buildings and on the grounds of The Farmers' Museum beginning Oct. 17, called "Things That Go Bump in the Night." For details, visit www.farmersmuseum.org or call (607) 547-1450 to make tour reservations, as they are required.
On Monday: An artist out of work during the Great Depression brought an award-winning mural to Delhi in 1940.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.
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