Tara WinkWhen Granville Sharp Pattison joined the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) in 1820, the Scottish-born anatomist brought with him a collection of over 100 anatomical specimens known as the Burns Collection. The collection, which was revolutionary for its time, became a valuable teaching and learning tool for early medical students at UMSOM.
The Burns Collection was curated by Allan Burns, a Scottish anatomist and lecturer in Glasgow at the College Street Anatomical School. At 14, Burns began the study of anatomy under his brother, John Burns. By 16, Allan Burns was placed in charge of the dissecting rooms at the school, and he quickly earned a reputation as a skilled dissector.
Access to bodies for early medical educators in Europe and the United States was limited because the act of dissection was often illegal or highly disfavored. While we do not know how or where Burns acquired bodies for medical education and dissection, they were most likely those of executed criminals or taken from nearby gravesites. In England and Scotland, the only legal way to attain bodies was from the executioners. Otherwise, they were obtained through grave robbing by resurrectionists, men who dug up recently buried bodies and sold them to medical schools. Grave robbing was a necessary part of medical education before alternative, legal ways of obtaining bodies were introduced.
To help meet the body demands at the anatomy school, Burns developed a process for preserving anatomical specimens in a solution of arsenic, salt, and honey. This meant the same specimens could be used repeatedly for teaching purposes. For example, the collection contains several preserved heads dissected to teach students different anatomical structures from muscles to blood vessels of the head and neck and how they worked. Burns’ collection of preserved bodies became a museum at the school.
In 1809, Pattison became a pupil and assistant to Burns. The two became close colleagues, so close that when Burns died in 1813, he bequeathed the copyright of his written works to Pattison. Burns’ specimen collection was bequeathed to Andrew Russel, an associate and his assistant in preparing the anatomical collection. Russel in turn sold the collection to Pattison, who immigrated to the United States in pursuit of a teaching position, ultimately landing at UMSOM. After arriving at the school, Pattison sold the collection to UMSOM for $7,800, more than $222,000 today.
Pattison was named dean of UMSOM in 1821. UMSOM flourished under Pattison’s deanship: enrollment grew, the medical building (today’s Davidge Hall) was renovated, the Baltimore Infirmary (today’s University of Maryland Medical Center) was opened, and the school became an academic rival to other well-known medical schools. The Burns Collection was also given its own home, Practice Hall, a small building extension to Davidge Hall.
The Burns Collection remains a valuable part of UMSOM for its historical significance as a groundbreaking solution during a time when anatomical instruction was challenged by access to bodies. The collection continues to be a teaching tool supporting the more technologically advanced options of present-day medical education.
“The collection was groundbreaking at the time,” Ronn Wade, retired director of the Maryland Anatomy Board, said in a 2010 University of Maryland Medicine Bulletin article. “It was superior to anything that had been available, and we still use it today for educational purposes.”
Today, the bulk of the collection is housed in the Maryland State Anatomy Board, an organization that legally accepts bodies for anatomical and medical study, representing how far history has come from resurrectionists and grave robbing. A small representation of the collection has been traveling the world for the last 12 years as part of the Mummies of the World exhibit. That exhibit has now closed, and the specimens are returning to the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where they will permanently be displayed in Davidge Hall when its renovations are completed in 2027.
Items from the Burns Collection and MUMAB (Mummy of the University of Maryland at Baltimore) will be on exhibit at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library’s Weise Gallery until January 2027.
Pattison’s Duel
In addition to bringing the Burns Collection to the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Granville Sharp Pattison is known for another noteworthy exploit: He took part in one of only two known duels involving UMSOM.
Pattison became a physician under Allan Burns, a lecturer on anatomy, physiology, and surgery at the Andersonian Institute (now University of Strathclyde) in Glasgow, Scotland. Pattison and Burns were colleagues teaching and writing together until Burns’ death, after which Pattison took over the lecture duties of Burns.
Following success at the Andersonian Institute, Pattison came to Philadelphia in pursuit of a position as professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). Unfortunately, upon arrival he discovered that the position was given to another doctor. He remained in Philadelphia, with the hopes of receiving other positions at UPenn, but he continued to be passed over. The professors at UPenn, namely Dr. Nathaniel Chapman, cited several infractions as reasons for not hiring Pattison, most notably that he had an affair with Catherine Ure, wife of Dr. Andrew Ure, Pattison’s colleague in Glasgow, that ultimately led to their divorce in 1819.
Pattison founded his own anatomical school in Philadelphia, teaching there until 1820, when he accepted the position of chair of surgery at UMSOM. He was named dean the next year.
While at UMSOM, Pattison became embroiled in a public disagreement with Chapman. The two men published articles and pamphlets disparaging each other. The themes included claims against UMSOM, arguing it could not be a school in high standing for hiring a professor with Pattison’s reputation.
In April 1823, Pattison and Gen. Thomas Cadwalader, Chapman’s brother-in-law, ended the dispute in a duel. In the 1820s, duels were an acceptable method for a man to restore his honor and clear his name; there was even an accepted dueling code. Neither man was fatally injured in the duel. Pattison escaped without harm, but Cadwalader took a bullet to the wrist.
Pattison resigned from UMSOM in 1825, citing poor health. However, he did continue to teach over the years. In 1827, he returned to Europe as professor of anatomy at the University of London, where he stayed for four years before moving back to Philadelphia as professor of anatomy at Jefferson Medical College. In 1840, he became professor of anatomy at New York University, remaining there until he died on Nov. 12, 1851.
The other duel in UMSOM’s history: Two students who participated in a duel off campus.
In 1828, roommates and UMSOM students Samuel John Carr and William Bond Martin dueled at Bladensburg Dueling Grounds. Carr, an excellent marksman, shot Martin between the eyes killing him. The disagreement between the men started with an unpaid fuel bill and was amplified by Carr’s affections for Mary Polk, stepdaughter of UMSOM founder Dr. John B. Davidge.
Carr was expelled from UMSOM as a result of the duel but faced no criminal charges. He and Mary eloped and together had five children. Carr returned to UMSOM years later, graduating in 1834.
