On today’s episode, Genevieve will discuss fascinating superstitions and beliefs that Victorians held about death and cemeteries, as well as some of the origins of those beliefs. And we will discuss how medical science in the 19th century wasn’t just horrific, it was groundbreaking, and not only developed cures, treatments and techniques that we still use today to save lives, but how medical science in the Victorian era led to astounding developments in forensic science that we still use to catch killers, and exonerate the innocent.

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References:

https://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/victorian-funeral-customs-fears-and-superstitions

https://nashvillehistoricalnewsletter.com/2022/01/16/funeral-customs-of-the-1800s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstition_in_Great_Britain

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Why-Do-People-Throw-Salt-Over-Their-Shoulder

https://www.mortonsalt.com/article/salt-history

https://people.howstuffworks.com/why-do-people-throw-salt-over-shoulders.htm

https://www.forensicscolleges.com/blog/history-of-forensics

https://boroughsofthedead.com/poisonous-prohibition-brooklyn-heights/

https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2010/sep/23/forensic-science-murder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Norris_(medical_examiner)

A Dictionary of Superstitions by Iona Pie and Moira Tatum

The Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore by Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud