As a young physician in Massachusetts, Dr. Thomas Sewall (d. 1845) was arrested, charged, and found guilty of multiple counts of the crime of grave robbing in 1819. Forced to leave the state, he moved to the nation's capital to re-establish his career. In 1825 he was a founding faculty member of the medical department at Columbian College, where he became professor of anatomy.

In addition to his grave robbing crimes, Dr. Sewell is remembered today for his graphic eight drawings of "alcohol diseased stomachs." Colored lithographs of these were made and widely distributed to promote teetotalism and the temperance movement. Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. ... A Temperance Movement (see definition of temperance) attempts to greatly reduce the amount of alcohol consumed or even prohibit its production and consumption entirely. ...

See also

• History of Anti-Alcohol Movements in the U.S.

Source

• Hanson, David J. Preventing Alcohol Abuse: Alcohol, Culture, and Control. Wetport, CT: Praeger, 1995.