The Bioarchaeology of Dissection and Autopsy in the United States (Bioarchaeology and Social Theory)

By: Kenneth C. Nystrom

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Synopsis: Encountering evidence of postmortem examinations- dissection or autopsy in historic skeletal collections is relativelyrare, but recently there has been an increase in the number of reportedinstances. And much of what has been evaluated has been largely descriptiveand historical. The Bioarchaeology ofDissection and Autopsy brings together in a single volume the skeletal evidence ofpostmortem examination in the United States. Ranging from the earlycolonial period to the early 1900's, from a coffeehouse at ColonialWilliamsburg to a Quaker burial vault in lower Manhattan, the contributions to this volume demonstrate the interpretive significance of a historically andtheoretically contextualizedbioarchaeology. The authors employ a wide range of perspectives, demonstrating how bioarchaeological evidence can be used to address a widerange of themes including social identity and marginalization, racialization,the nature of the body and fragmentation, and the emergence of medical practiceand authority in the United States.