On Thursday 27th June, the internationally renowned historian Dr Christine Ball will be visiting Cambridge and giving a talk entitled Cobras, chloroform and consumption -  the life and times of Joseph Clover, the surgeon who transformed anaesthesia in the 19th century.

Chrstine is an anaesthetist at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, and has a career-long interest in the history of anaesthesia. She has been an honorary curator at the Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History for over thirty years, is the 2020–2024 Wood Library-Museum Laureate of the History of Anesthesiology. and has authored numerous works in this field, including The Chloroformist - a historical biography of Joseph Clover (1825-1882), a surgeon who pursued a career in anaesthesia in the second half of the nineteenth century in London.

Christine is an incredibly engaging speaker, and this talk will give an insight into the life and times of pioneer anaesthetist Joseph Clover, and the evolution of anaesthesia in Victorian Britain. It is suitable for all with an interest in the history of medicine, surgery and anaesthesia.

The event will be held in the Alice Fisher lecture theatre from 18:45 - 19:45.  Tickets are free and available via eventbrite (to keep track of numbers): https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cobras-chloroform-and-consumption-tickets-896505912317