Atlas holds up the World: The Anatomy of Myth
The Greek poet Hesiod tells the story of the defeat of the Titans. While many of his brothers were banished to Tartarus, Atlas was condemned to hold up the sky forever. Remembering this story, the uppermost bone of our spine – the one which supports our skull – is known as our atlas verterbra. This talk by anatomist and Human Remains Conservator will consider the way that classical mythology has influenced our medical language, and look at the way pathology may have influenced the formation of mythology – while also asking the important questions such as where does the centaur keep his lungs?
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, where she is now Consultant Human Remains Conservator. 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
