The Descartes Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities invite you to attend a public lecture by

Dr. Walton O. Schalick III (Department of Medical History and Bioethics, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

entitled

“Neither Acute nor Chronic: Physical Disabilities and Their Impact on Children, 1802-1946”

Abstract: 

When bioethicist Peter Singer defended the euthanasia of children whose severe disabilities made life "so miserable as not to be worth living," he was met with a firestorm of protest. The debate over euthanasia for children has remained especially complicated, even as progress seems to have been made in the debate over adult euthanasia. Part of that complexity arises from the Enlightenment contract with children and a progressive 'state' investment in the science and technology of rehabilitation of children.  This talk will explore that historical and social background as it pertains to children with physical disabilities in order to better frame contemporary debates over policy, ethics and the care of these 'most vulnerable of the vulnerable.'

Dr. Walton Schalick holds a Ph.D. in history and an M.D. in pediatric rehabilitation from Johns Hopkins University, spent 5 years as a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical Center, 7 years in the History and Pediatrics departments at Washington University in St. Louis, and now hold a position in Medical History, Rehabilitation Medicine, History of Science and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research areas are history of medieval medicine and pharmacology, the history of children with physical disabilities in 19th- and 20th-century Europe and the US, and the practical ethics of pediatric emergency research. He is Associate Editor for the five-volume, Encyclopedia of Disability (2005).

Date: Monday, October 6th

Time: 12.00 – 13.45

A buffet of sandwiches and beverages will be provided for those who register by September 15th to infodescartescentre@uu.nl

Venue: 

Belle van Zuylenzaal

Academiegebouw

Domplein 29

Utrecht