The absence of a corpse led to one of the most notorious murder sprees in Scottish history

In the early 19th century, the demand for cadavers in Edinburgh surged due to medical education needs, leading to illegal body trading and a notorious murder spree by William Burke and William Hare. They killed 16 victims, primarily targeting the poor, to sell their bodies to anatomist Robert Knox. Their crimes ended in November 1828 when they were arrested after a body was discovered. Burke was executed in 1829, while Hare turned informant to save himself. The scandal damaged Knox's reputation and led to reforms in body donation laws in Britain by 1832, allowing legal acquisition of cadavers for medical purposes.