Scottish Death record 1844

[annypanny]

Thanks everyone!  I have not managed to locate him on any census.  He was married to Elizabeth Tait and they had about 7 children.  I have tried to trace the children on census records and have managed to find a few.  Samuel was convicted in 1842 and was listed as a vagrant so it's possible he slipped through the enumerator's net on the 1841 census.  I think I may have found a couple of his daughters living in Institutions in Edinburgh but I'm only going on their age and place of birth.  No sign at all of his wife who I'm assuming died before Samuel's convictions due to the children living in institutions.  He was living in Linlithgow and all of his children were born there too.  The Prison record shows his place of birth as Ireland.  Thanks again. Annie

[annypanny]

The list of surgeons in the 1843-44 directory for Edinburgh has

James Marr MD, 6 Northumberland Street.

There are also Mayne, Menzies, Messer and Mure.

Yes!  I think this you may be correct, most of the entries where the word Dr is present the word class follows!  I know he was down on his luck so perhaps this was common place for these unfortunates!  I'll maybe need to go to the NLS and investigate more, will keep the thread updated!

[annypanny]

Found this online! 

journals.ed.ac.uk/resmedica/article/download/1021/1501

[horselydown86]

I'm with Colin on this.  Last night it occurred to me that the Class entries perhaps didn't relate to the abode in life of the deceased but rather to the destination post mortem of the corpse - as in Dr Lonsdale's Anatomy Class.  Colin's suggestion is from the same general area.

I was not aware that Old Parish Records would have recorded the names of bodies sent for dissection.

Just realised I have been looking at this backwards.  The entry isn't recording bodies going to the Classes for dissection;  they are coming from the Classes after dissection.

As I read him, Colin was suggesting they died under experimental surgery, which may be true.  But the more everyday possibility is that he was a pauper, died in the workhouse, was supplied to the University for dissection or surgical training and his remains afterwards (minus whatever diseased organs may have been kept) went to the Parish for burial.

(I apologize if this has been obvious to everyone else all along.)

[loobylooayr]

Just realised I have been looking at this backwards.  The entry isn't recording bodies going to the Classes for dissection;  they are coming from the Classes after dissection.

As I read him, Colin was suggesting they died under experimental surgery, which may be true.  But the more everyday possibility is that he was a pauper, died in the workhouse, was supplied to the University for dissection or surgical training and his remains afterwards (minus whatever diseased organs may have been kept) went to the Parish for burial.

(I apologize if this has been obvious to everyone else all along.)

Wasn't obvious to me Horselydown  , I thought after it became clear it was Class rather than Close that it meant the parish was handing over bodies before burial  which would have been most controversial . But it makes much more sense that the bodies have come from the anatomy classes to be buried.

Looby

[annypanny]

I've sent off a few emails to the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh and hopefully will get some more information regarding Samuel's fate.  Will update the thread.  Thanks for everyone's input, it's been really helpful.