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Description: | St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, [London], [England] A specimen with a bizarre and amazing history. It was found by the noted 19th century naturalist and eccentric, Frank Buckland, while searching the crypt of St. Martin's in the Fields for John Hunter's coffin. John Hunter, William Hunter's brother, was one of the greatest surgeons of the 18th century.
The Public Health Act of 1858 mean that crypts had to be cleared, and the bodies buried. When Buckland heard of this plan, he saw it as an opportunity to recover John Hunter's body for burial in Westminster Abbey. Nealry one month was spent examining hundreds of coffins in the crypt. The proceedings are described in several contemporary accounts, and make for gruesome reading.
This specimen is from a pure white coffin found and shattered during the search. It must orignally have been of metallic lead, but had been entirely converted to lead carbonate - an occurrence described as unique. Copies of references are in the Object History File. | License: | http://www.hmag.gla.ac.uk/spirit/rights/ | Publisher: | Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow | Rights holder: | Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow | Subjects: | CARBONATE : COFFIN : MINERAL : : | Source: | Hunterian Museum | Creator: | Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow | Identifier: | http://www.huntsearch.gla.ac.uk/cgi-bin/... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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