Adventures in Anatomy is a series which will explore different parts of the body, combining science, myth, history and folklore to look at the way our understanding of them has changed through time, and the part they play in culture and the way we look at the world.
Skeletons in the Closet: Bones
Bones are the framework of the body, the thing that keeps us upright. They are also usually the part of us that hangs around for the longest after our death. We tend to think about bones as inert and unreactive, but they are constantly responding to what we are doing. What can bones tell us about our lives once we’re dead? How have they caused storage problems over the years? And what can a graveyard tell us about the way our understanding of the skeleton has changed over time?
Bio
Cat Irving has been the Human Remains Conservator for Surgeons’ Hall since 2015 and has been caring for anatomical and pathological museum collections for over twenty 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. Cat is a licensed anatomist, and gives regular talks on anatomy and medical history. She recently carried out conservation work on the skeleton of serial killer William Burke
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
See all the events in the series – Adventures in anatomy with Cat Irving