Suzie Grogan The Glamorous Life of a Surgeon Apothecary 1750-1850 

My guest today is fellow Pen & Sword author, Suzie Grogan. Suzie’s written three books now but it is her second book, Death, Disease and Dissection that we’re really focusing on in this episode. 

Join me as our chat turns to the world of medical history and the life of a surgeon-apothecary in the mid 18th and 19th Century. 

We don't forget the body snatching in this episode and look at it from a slightly different angle than usual. 

*Listener discretion is advised at the beginning of this episode 

1:12   Introduction & how a murder inspired Suzie’s first book ‘Shell-Shocked Britain’

5:07   The Structure of the medical profession

9:42   The varied work of a Surgeon - Apothecary: From rolling pills to lancing abscesses 

11:40  Inside the 19th century dissecting room 

14:07  John Keats as a Medical student

14:22  Druin Burch ‘Digging Up The Dead’ & accounts of 19th dissecting rooms 

15:12  The horrors of cross-contamination & germs in the dissecting room 

19:09  Digging deeper into the life of a 19th century medical student

19:36  Students providing cadavers for dissection & anatomists relationship with body snatchers     

23:16  I’m asked a surprise question on the total number of cadavers stolen

24:19  The value of the human body at the time of the Anatomy Act   

26:13  The fear of being dissected 

27:03  The glamorous life of the Surgeon - Apothecary 

29:37  Quack Doctors

30:48  We dive back into the subject of body snatching

33:41  Keats: His medical notebook & time as a medical student

39:18  The influence of medicine on Keates poetry

40:50  Suzie’s thoughts on body snatching & its importance in medical history

43:39  How to find more from my guest, Suzie Grogan 

Books & Resources Mentioned In This Episode Include:

Ruth Richardson ‘Death, Dissection & the Destitute’ 

Druin Burch ‘Digging Up The Dead’ 

E.S Thompson The Gem Flockheart Series (Vol 1: Beloved Poison) 

The British Newspaper Archive 

Suzie’s Book (In Order Of Publication) 

Shell Shocked Britain

Death, Disease & Dissection 

John Keats: Poetry, Life & Landscape 

You can Follow Suzie On Social Media 

Twitter

Facebook 

Website 

Want a mid-week fix of all things body snatching? Then head on over to my blog at diggingup1800.com

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