christian roots

Hey all.  I have work in less than an hour, and realized that I would miss the 5 pm deadline if I didn't post something before I left.

My question is really only have formed, but my thoughts kept coming back to the few pages where Grant discussed medicine and the aquisition of anatomical knowledge (Pgs 62-65)  It mentions dissection and possibly vivisection as methods used to gain medical knowledge specific to the human body, but then goes on to say that dissection was a great taboo (due to the body being sacred), and the vivisections may have been performed on condemned criminals, who had no value.

What, I've been pondering, does this really say about the morality of the age?  Today, we condemn criminals, but then have a big to-do and fight all sorts of battles when the idea of atually applying the death penalty comes up. Apparently, the scientists of the age had no problem using these now-worthless people as a resource.

 Thoughts?  I like morality questions.  It may become even more obvious as the quarter goes on.