Mortsafes were contraptions designed to protect graves from disturbance. Resurrectionists had supplied the schools of anatomy in Scotland since the early 18th century. This was due to the necessity for medical students to learn anatomy by attending dissections of human subjects, which was frustrated by the very limited allowance of dead bodies – for example the corpses of executed criminals – granted by the government, which controlled the supply.

A craftsman works on making human anatomy mannequins on April 23, 2014 in Depok, West Java, Indonesia. The mannequins are made from fiberglass and will be used in schools, hospitals and laboratories. (Photo by Nurcholis Anhari Lubis/Getty Images)