Norham Gardens
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX2 6PS
UK
Shakespeare lived in one of the most unhealthy times and places in history. Disease was rife and hygiene poor, physicians could only be trained abroad, and there was no such thing as a public medical lecture. Most of Shakespeare’s own insights into science were learnt through friends who would tell (or show!) him their discoveries.
This event will bring together professional actors from Creation Theatre with medical historian Leah Astbury and modern day researcher Martijn van de Bunt to explore some of the medical references in Shakespeare’s plays and how they relate to contemporary science. From epilepsy to astrology, malaria to anaesthesia, compare the science of 400 years ago to the cutting edge research we have today and discover what has changed and what has stayed the same.