The skeletons in the exhibition may be hundreds of years old but they have the power to stir living feelings in many of us. How does London feel about its dead bodies? Body-snatching in the 1800s had a huge influence on the development of modern medicine. But what rights does a dead body have today, and how do these rights change over time?

What’s the difference between a skeleton that is 99 years old and a skeleton that is 100 years old? Should we be using the dead at all? What limitations, rules and regulations are in place to mark our use? Join our speakers for a discussion of regulatory, philosophical and historical perspectives on death and dying in the capital.

This event will begin with a soundscape and a live poetry reading by Aoife Mannix. Have your chance to contribute to the soundscape at ‘ Dem Bones’, a day of drop-in activities at Wellcome Collection on 31 July.

Speakers
> Druin Burch, author of ‘Digging Up the Dead: Uncovering the life and times of an extraordinary surgeon’
> A.C. Grayling, Reader in philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London
> Kate Robson-Brown, Archaeologist and member of the Human Tissue Authority

Registration required:

Yes

Free:

Yes