Arrival instructions - please note the internet gives the incorrect address for Guy's Hospital Chapel. It is in the old hospital courtyard on St Thomas Street SE1. If you are coming from London Bridge station, please take the Guy's Hospital exit. You will see the new hospital straight ahead of you. Please turn right and a little further down you will find the courtyard. It is roughly opposite The Shard.

Gothic literature and science fiction have often been influenced by scientific research and discoveries, none more notably than Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The popularity of psychiatry and emergence of neurology as a scientific discipline had a profound impact on the Victorian imagination. Traces thereof can be seen in novels such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde”, H.G. Wells’ “The Island of Doctor Moreau” and even Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, as his brother, Sir William Thornley Stoker, was a renowned neurologist. But how far-fetched were those stories? And how far has science gotten since the Victorian times?

In this talk, neuroscientist Jenny Lange will discuss the origins of neurology, its representation in gothic literature and science fiction, and how neuroscience has advanced since. We will touch upon what gothic writers imagined scientists would achieve and examine some of the most exciting accomplishments in neuroscience. Can we grow a brain in a dish? What happens to your brain after death? And have we learned from the ethical issues discussed in Frankenstein and other novels? Join Dr Lange for an exciting insight into the science of gothic horror and gain an understanding of neuroscience research.

Tickets £12 including a delightful gin cocktail and a 20% donation towards the King's Chaplaincy Trust

Dr Jenny Lange
Dr Jenny Lange is a neuroscientist specialising in uncovering the mechanisms of rare neurological disorders. Initially en route to becoming a psychologist, Jenny became intrigued by the field of psychopharmacology and completed a PhD in Neuroscience at King’s College London. She’s currently working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Zayed Centre for research, University College London. In her free time, Jenny has a keen interest in gothic literature and thanatology.


Image - Mad Scientist's Lab. Creative Commons courtesty of Wikimedia Images.