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Theme: Secrets, Discoveries and Medicine

A broken arm rarely ends with an amputated nose these days, but how did we get to the (generally) safe medical practices we take for granted? Through talks, panel debates and exhibitions we will explore how medicine and healthcare has evolved, and discover the extraordinary advances in technology that are allowing us to live longer, healthier lives.

What's on

Wed
17
Jun

Medicine’s Painful Past

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this lecture has been cancelled. We apologise for any disappointment this may cause.

Wed
17
Jun

Sir Thomas Browne in the 21st Century

In this fascinating and entertaining talk, Hugh Aldersey-Williams reveals what we can learn about our lives now by re-examining how Sir Thomas Browne understood the times in which he lived. How we might apply Browne’s questioning curiosity to our contemporary beliefs and how surprising the results could be.

Sat
13
Jun

The Occult Roots of Modern Psychology

This talk provides an overview of historical links between elite science and the marvellous, and reconstructs the involvement of some of the founders of modern psychology in research on telepathy and spiritualism.

Fri
12
Jun

Secrets, Discoveries & Medicine

This roundtable will debate pharmaceutical innovation in relation to clinical trial openness, patents and Intellectual Property from an inter-disciplinary perspective.

Thu
11
Jun

Melodrama and Medical Horror Stories

This talk discusses how the US Public Health Service sponsored a medical research study in Guatemala that involved infecting thousands of vulnerable people with sexually transmitted diseases between 1946 and 1948, and how the US government came to apologise for it in 2010.

Thu
11
Jun

Fifty Active Years After Fifty®

Join John Fisher to discover how medical engineering is encouraging the body to regenerate itself making fifty active years after fifty a realistic expectation for many people.

Wed
10
Jun

Healing at a Distance

What can the history of old technologies like the telephone and the television teach us about the future of telemedicine? This lecture reframes current debates over the promise and perils of telemedicine by examining the successive ethical challenges posed from the late 19th century to the present.

Tue
9
Jun

The Secret History of Biological Warfare

Professor Brian Balmer, Department of Science and Technology Studies, University College London

Tue
9
Jun

The Art of Measure: Virus form and function

Find out about recent advances in our understanding virus structure.

Festival themes