Descriptions

John Sheldon (1752-1808) was an anatomist and surgeon who spent most of his career in London. Here he taught anatomy from a private theatre in Great Windmill Street. In 1782 he was appointed Professor of Anatomy to the Royal College of Art. He suffered from poor mental health, and moved to Devon to recover, joining the Devon and Exeter hospital in 1797.

Sheldon was particularly interested in the process of embalming the human body. He was notorious for keeping the preserved body of a young woman in a glass case in his bedroom for 30 years. After his death his wife, Rebecca, donated the body to the Royal College of Surgeons.


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