Burial-ground incendiarism. The last fire at the bone-house in the Spa-Fields golgotha, or, The minute anatomy of grave-digging in London

Public Health and Sanitation

Central to Walker's work, this theme explores the dire consequences of unsanitary burial practices on the health of the living. He argues that overcrowded churchyards, with decaying bodies contaminating the air and water, are direct sources of disease, contributing significantly to London's high mortality rates. The book is a direct appeal for scientific and governmental intervention to safeguard public health.

Social Injustice and Class Inequality

Walker implicitly and explicitly critiques the class disparities in death. While the wealthy could afford burial in private vaults or distant cemeteries, the poor were condemned to overcrowded, repeatedly disturbed graves in urban churchyards. This theme examines how the socio-economic status determined one's dignity in death and the health risks one faced in life due to proximity to these conditions.