Did the Victorians believe drinking heavily might cause spontaneous human combustion?
In this slightly bizarre talk at Glenside Hospital Museum Dr Pam Lock, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol will share her research on Victorian theories about spontaneous human combustion and how they helped found the new discipline of alcohol medicine.
Come and join us to find out what Dickens thought about spontaneous human combustion (spoiler: he was a true believer).
Dr Lock will share the heated public debates about the links between drinking and these fire-related deaths, particularly among older female drinkers and the novels they inspired.
No open flames please.
About the speaker
Dr Pam Lock is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol. She has researched and published on alcohol in Victorian fiction and Culture for over 10 years and recently collaborated with the British Library to curate one of their 'Tales of the Weird' series entitled Dead Drunk (https://shop.bl.uk/products/dead-drunk-tales-of-intoxication-and-demon-drinks).
Her monograph on The Drunkard in Victorian Fiction and Culture comes out next year with Edinburgh University Press.
Pam also works with local brewery, Good Chemistry Brewing, to organise and give talks for their 'Think While You Drink' and 'She Drinks Beer' events.
Please arrive at the museum a minimum of 15 minutes before the talk to register your arrival at reception.
Location postcode: BS16 1DD
what3words: scores.jobs.trail
