Throughout history, the skin has spoken and people have listened intently, but also judged. The word stigma stems from the Latin ‘stigmata’, meaning ‘mark’, or ‘brand’, usually by way of a burn.
This talk explores the history of burn scars over the last two centuries. Drawing on the recently completed AHRC-funded project, ‘Forged by Fire: burn injuries and British identity, 1800-2000’, Professor Jonathan Reinarz will explore the way in which burns have marked the bodies of British people and shaped their lives and communities during war and peace, whether sustained at home or at work.
It will examine the way in which burns scars have historically been treated by medical practitioners, deciphered by coroners, responded to by the public, and how charities and activists have recently challenged the way in which these injuries have been represented.
Tickets for this event cost £3. Bookings are available through Eventbrite.
Medical practitioners who are Fellows or Members of the College will be admitted free of charge. Please email library@rcpe.ac.uk if you are a Fellow or Member of the College and would like to be added to the attendee list.
