Society of Mutual Autopsy
Encyclopedia
The Society of Mutual Autopsy or la Société d'autopsie mutuelle, was organized on October 19, 1876 by members of the Society of Anthropology of Paris. Its purpose was to facilitate research on any links between personality & ability and brain morphology
by creating a system whereby members' bodies, upon death, would be donated to the Society for study.
The primary tool used by the Society to organize these donations was a sort of living will
which accomplished two main tasks. The first was to make clear the intention of the donor to have his or her body delivered to the Society upon death. The second was to present to the Society a description of the donor: their personality, skills, habits, faults, etc. to allow for more complete research by the Society on the connection between these and brain morphology.
Though little-known outside of anthropological circles until recently, the Society of Mutual Autopsy has been the subject of some academic study, and is most notably featured in the 2003 book The End of the Soul
by historian Jennifer Michael Hecht
.
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
by creating a system whereby members' bodies, upon death, would be donated to the Society for study.
The primary tool used by the Society to organize these donations was a sort of living will
Living will
An advance health care directive, also known as living will, personal directive, advance directive, or advance decision, are instructions given by individuals specifying what actions should be taken for their health in the event that they are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or...
which accomplished two main tasks. The first was to make clear the intention of the donor to have his or her body delivered to the Society upon death. The second was to present to the Society a description of the donor: their personality, skills, habits, faults, etc. to allow for more complete research by the Society on the connection between these and brain morphology.
Though little-known outside of anthropological circles until recently, the Society of Mutual Autopsy has been the subject of some academic study, and is most notably featured in the 2003 book The End of the Soul
The End of the Soul
The End of the Soul: Scientific Modernity, Atheism, And Anthropology in France, 1876-1936 by Jennifer Michael Hecht was published in 2003 by Columbia University Press. It tells how a group of leading French citizens, men and women included, joined together to form an unusual group, The Society of...
by historian Jennifer Michael Hecht
Jennifer Michael Hecht
Jennifer Michael Hecht is a poet, historian, philosopher, and author.Hecht's scholarly articles have been published in many journals and magazines, and her poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, and Poetry Magazine, among others...
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