“Prime Harvest”: Iceland’s Place in the Early Global Cadaver Trade
Tuesday, September 7 at 12 Adam Netzer Zimmer, PhD student in forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology, will give a talk at the National Museum of Iceland. The lecture will be in English. The lecture will also be streamed through the National Museum YouTube channel.
Dissecting the human body is a crucial part of a physician’s training but acquiring bodies has always been a difficult endeavor. For centuries, anatomists resorted to grave robbing, opportunistic targeting of racial or religious minorities, and colonial networks to get cadavers. This talk, based on my analyses of the human remains in the Læknagarður skeletal collection, will address how Icelandic physicians acquired human remains for anatomical research in the formative years of the Icelandic medical system. In addition, I will discuss how Icelanders themselves were once targeted as anatomical specimens by foreign researchers.
Adam Netzer Zimmer is a Ph.D. candidate in forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is a member of the UMass Community Archaeology Laboratory headed by Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste. His work has been funded by the Fulbright-National Science Foundation Arctic Research Grant, the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Leifur Eiríksson Foundation fellowship, and the Armelagos-Swedlund Biocultural Anthropology Dissertation Award. He lives in Reykjavík, where he is completing his dissertation. In addition to his research, Adam is also very involved in public science communication and outreach efforts.
All guests must be registered. Please call 5302202 or send an email to [email protected] to pre-register, stating your name, ID No. and telephone number.
Free entrance with a museum ticket and for holders of an Annual Pass. Free entrance for Children under 18 years old. The Museum Annual pass costs 2000 ISK and offers access to all exhibitions and events at the National Museum.
All are welcome.
