Burke and Hare

Amongst many cultural and historical jokes interwoven in the plot, one occurs when Dr. Alexander Monro (Tim Curry) says to Dr. Lister (George Potts), "your breath is appalling." Although the timeline is somewhat off, with Lister being of a later generation than that portrayed during the events of this movie, he was nonetheless the pioneer of using carbolic acid for the sterilization of surgical instruments and cleaning of wounds during the 1860s. This effectively revolutionized surgery and saved the lives of countless patients who would otherwise have died of infection or had to have limbs amputated due to gangrene. He is also after whom the famous antiseptic mouthwash product Listerine was named, hence the ironic joke about his breath being appalling.

Two hangings are shown in the film, in the style of a "long drop" designed to break the neck and cause instant death. This style was first introduced in the 1870s by William Marwood as a more humane approach. Before then, and certainly in 1828-1829 when the film was set, the victim was simply suspended by a rope around the neck and choked to death by suffocation.

This is a true story. Except for the parts that are not.