Macarthur Park in Little Rock in Pulaski County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
The First Human Dissection in Arkansas
Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 10, 2018
1. The First Human Dissection in Arkansas Marker
Front
The first human dissection in Arkansas was made on this spot in November 1874 by James H. Lenow M.D. Little Rock and Richard S. Vickery M.D. U.S. Army
Rear
Erected by the Arkansas Medical Society to perpetuate the early history of medicine in the state May 12, 1927
Erected 1927 by the Arkansas Medical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • Science & Medicine. A significant historical date for this entry is May 12, 1927.
Location. 34° 44.223′ N, 92° 15.853′ W. Marker is in Little Rock, Arkansas, in Pulaski County. It is in Macarthur Park. It is at the intersection of McMath Avenue and East 11th Street, on the right when traveling south on McMath Avenue. Located in MacArthur Park Historic District south of the tennis courts and north of the restrooms. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: McMath Avenue, Little Rock AR 72202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Quapaw Homeland. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Roosevelt Visits Little Rock / Roosevelt Visits City Park (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Camden Expedition (about 400 feet away); United Spanish War Veterans Tribute (about 400 feet away); Douglas MacArthur (about 400 feet
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. In Memory of David O. Dodd (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed); The Story of David O. Dodd (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed).
Regarding The First Human Dissection in Arkansas. For many, many years, doctors were forbidden from dissecting human bodies to obtain medical knowledge in Arkansas -- and lots of other places. Religious beliefs held that corpses had to be intact in order to go to the afterlife. That taboo was finally broken in Arkansas in November 1874, at the Little Rock Armory. The event was later judged so important by the Arkansas Medical Society that it erected a monument on the spot in 1927.
Dr. Lenow was dean of the College of Medicine from 1907 until 1912. Dr. Richard Swanton Vickery
Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 10, 2018
2. The First Human Dissection in Arkansas Marker (rear)
Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 10, 2018
3. View of tennis courts & community garden plots near monument.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 10, 2018
4. View from monument towards MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 590 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 15, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
