Police Court, on more than one
occasion saved Brookes from the popular fury.

A subject was brought to him one day in a sack, and paid for at once; soon
after it was discovered that the occupant of the sack was alive. This was
not a case of attempted murder; the "subject" was a confederate of those
from whom he had been purchased, and had, in all probability, been thus
introduced to the premises for purposes of burglary.

The competition of the schools had risen to such a height in the demand
for bodies, that Brookes stated that for a subject, which would have cost
two guineas in his student days, he had paid as much as sixteen guineas.
Nor was the cost of the body the only expense to the teacher. At the
beginning of each session he was waited upon by the resurrection-men, who
offered to supply him regularly with bodies at a fixed price, on the
condition that a douceur was paid down at once. The teachers were
powerless in the matter, and had either to accede to the offered terms, or
to lose their students through not having a sufficient supply of subjects.
The scarcity of bodies was most keenly felt at the beginning of the
session; the resurrection-men knew that they could command their own
terms, and would not supply any subjects until the teachers had conceded
all their demands. This was felt to be bad for the students, and Dr. James
Somerville, who was assistant to Brodie at the Great Windmill Street
School, in giving evidence before the Committee on Anatomy, said that
"the pupils not being able to proceed for a certain time lose their
ardour, and get into habits of idleness."

At the end of the session the resurrection-men again waited on the
proprietors of the schools, and demanded "finishing money." In some papers
relating to Sir Astley Cooper, which were referred to in a letter
published in the _Medical Times_, 1883, vol. 1, p. 343, we read: "May
10th, 1827, Paid Hollis, Vaughan, and Llewellyn, finishing money, L6 6s.
0d. 1829, June 18th, Paid Murphy, Wildes, & Naples, finishing money L6 6s.
0d."

The cost of the bodies in this way to the teachers was more than they
could charge to the students, and the deficiency thus created was made up
by increased fees for the lectures. The expenses, moreover, did not end
here. If one of the resurrection-men was unfortunate enough to get a term
of imprisonment, the teacher had to partly keep the man's wife and family
whilst he was serving his sentence. A solatium was also