We’re revisiting powerful conversations as part of our Archive Spotlight, where we highlight meaningful conversations from the past.

In this episode, Rob chats with bestselling author Sam Kean about the dark, bizarre history of grave robbing in the name of science. From drunken med students digging up fresh corpses to the riot-inducing public backlash, they explore how anatomy’s early days were fueled by body snatching—and how some doctors even did the digging themselves. 

Inspired by Kean’s book The Ice Pick Surgeon.

Originally published on 7/16/21.