Cat Irving - One Night with Venus, A Lifetime with Mercury: Sex and Syphilis
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Cat Irving - One Night with Venus, A Lifetime with Mercury: Sex and Syphilis
Erasmus described syphilis as “the most destructive of all diseases”, and in the nineteenth century it was considered not just a health problem, but also as a symptom of a moral crisis. In London, it has been estimated that one in five people had syphilis, and asylums were filled with those whose sanity had been affected by the disease. Its prevalence in the armed forces were considered a threat to Empire. This talk by Human Remains Conservator Cat Irving will look at what this terrible disease does to the body, the cures which could be as bad as the disease itself, and its impact on society.
Cat Irving has been the Human Remains Conservator for Surgeons’ Hall since 2015 and has been caring for anatomical and pathological museum collections for twenty-five years. After a degree in Anatomical Science, she began removing brains and sewing up bodies at the Edinburgh City Mortuary. Following training in the care of wet tissue collections at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, she worked with the preparations of William Hunter at the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University, where she is now consultant conservator. Cat is a licensed anatomist, and gives regular talks on anatomy and medical history. Recently she has carried out conservation work on the skeleton of serial killer William Burke prior to his display in National Museum of Scotland. She has contributed to many publications, including the Routledge Handbook of Museums, Heritage and Death. She is currently writing Conversations with the Dead: The Lives of Human Remains, to be published by HarperCollins in Spring 2028.
This event is free to attend, although we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn't end up in anyone's pocket - it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield. Please note there are some steps in the venue so if you have motor difficulties, please let us know and we may be able to make other arrangements.