April 26, 2018 - April 26, 2018
The Old Operating Theatre & Herb Garret hosts a talk by author Ruth Richardson on the topic of death and the body in 19th century England.
Before 1832 dissection was a feared and hated punishment for murder. The 1832 Anatomy Act requisitioned instead the corpses of the poor, transferring the penalty from murder to poverty. The Anatomy Act contributed to the terrible fear of the Victorian workhouse and influences attitudes towards death even today. This talk by author Ruth Richardson analyses the subject drawing on many disciplines to explore the fundamental issues of folklore and science, life and death and the political struggles surrounding ownership of the body in the 19th century.
‘A heartfelt dilemma whose history is movingly explored….Passionate, powerful and elegant’. Roy Porter, The Guardian.
April 26th. Doors will open at 6:30 PM.
