Judge — December 23, 1882 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes the notorious practice of grave robbing by medical students in the 19th century. The title warns that "no live medical students" are admitted to the cemetery, darkly joking that dead ones might already be there. The image depicts armed guards protecting a Philadelphia cemetery, likely referencing the real problem of medical students stealing cadavers for anatomical study. This was a widespread issue before legal access to cadavers improved, particularly at medical schools like those in Philadelphia. The satire mocks both the students' desperation for specimens and the extreme measures cemeteries felt forced to take—armed sentries—to prevent body theft. It's a commentary on the contradiction between medical education's needs and society's respect for the dead.