When he died n 1832, Bentham left instructions for his body to be dissected and permanently preserved as an "auto-icon" (or self-image).
Motivated by rationality and his battle against superstition, Bentham was inspired by the need for bodies for medical education and research.
Before 1832, the Murder Act 1752 stipulated that only the corpses of executed murderers could be used for dissection.
The Anatomy Act of 1832, allowed the legal procurement of corpses of bodies that remained unclaimed 48 hours after death.
Almost no-one donated their body to science, so Jeremy Bentham donated his own.
Bentham's skeleton is still dressed in his own clothes, but has a wax head. The original mummified head was damaged, and fears that it would frighten people saw it replaced with one of wax.
About animals, Bentham said: "The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?". An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, 1789.
Before 1832, the Murder Act 1752 stipulated that only the corpses of executed murderers could be used for dissection.
The Anatomy Act of 1832, allowed the legal procurement of corpses of bodies that remained unclaimed 48 hours after death.
Almost no-one donated their body to science, so Jeremy Bentham donated his own.
Bentham's skeleton is still dressed in his own clothes, but has a wax head. The original mummified head was damaged, and fears that it would frighten people saw it replaced with one of wax.
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| The philosopher and jurist Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), "auto-icon" |
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| Head of the philosopher and jurist Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) |
As a social reformer and radical, Bentham is also famous for the prison Panopticon, which allowed the observation of many prisoners by a single security guard.