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Contrary to popular American intellectual belief, Jeremy Bentham is dead. He died in 1832, at the age of 84.

When he died Bentham bequeathed his body to his friend Dr. Southwood Smith, hoping that it would be used as an ‘Auto-Icon,’ a “man who is his own image, preserved for the benefit of posterity.” Eventually it ended up at the University College London, where it has since become part of the university’s lore and legend, and a cool object for student pranks.

Ultimately, Bentham wanted his body to be dissected to further the cause of science. Think of it as the rationalist’s Holy Communion.

Here it is:






The head between his legs is his *real* head, a result of a New Zealand embalming technique gone awry; the head on his body is made of wax. Make of that what you will.



References

Marmoy, C. F. A. (1958).
The ‘Auto-Icon’ of Jeremy Bentham at University College, London. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. Originally published in Medical History 2:77-86.