Hosted by Dr Doug Battersby, Centre for Victorian Studies, at the University of Leicester

Abstracts:

“Robert Louis Stevenson and Travel for Health” – Sally Shuttleworth (Oxford)

During the pandemic, we were all urged to isolate, to lock ourselves away and remain at home when ill. In the nineteenth century, invalids were urged to travel, to find the best location to treat their illness. As a result, many invalids led peripatetic lives, moving from place to place, often to ‘English colonies’ which arose in European resorts. In this talk I trace the life of one such invalid, Robert Louis Stevenson, and the impact on his work of his medical travels, including his Davos writings, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

“Marie Corelli and the Brain Cell” – Anne Stiles (Saint Louis University)

In 1888, Spanish scientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal proposed that nerve cells exist as independent units (neurons) instead of forming a continuous network. His discoveries revolutionized neuroscience and quickly made their way into popular literature. Bestselling author Marie Corelli’s novel Wormwood (1890) used the term “brain cell” at a time when it was rare outside of scientific publications. Corelli interpreted neurons creatively as reservoirs of divine energies that connected mankind to spirits, angels, and God.

“Wilkie Collins and Head Injuries” – Andrew Mangham (University of Reading)

This paper explores the possible inspirations Wilkie Collins took from the sciences of concussion and skull fracture for some of his most sensational narratives. Head trauma’s ability to disable or isolate brain sections meant that medicine was awash with examples of lost or altered personalities. Collins exploited such stories to explore the meaning and significance of identity, how injuries affect the will of the individual, and what trauma says about the human capacity for resilience.

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