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    Police surgeons and victims of rape: cultures of harm and care

    Bourke, Joanna (2018) Police surgeons and victims of rape: cultures of harm and care. Social History of Medicine 31 (4), pp. 711-731. ISSN 0951-631X.

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    Abstract

    Between the late 1960s and the late 1980s, police surgeons found themselves under concerted attack for their treatment of victims of rape and sexual assault. This article explores the tensions they faced between the needs of victims and their legal responsibilities. Should they prioritise care or the collection of evidence? How did they respond to criticism and why were reforms inadequate? I show how institutional structures and ideologies help explain the longevity of cultures of harm within the sub-discipline of police doctors. However, to understand the tenacity of these practices, we need to interrogate more fundamental processes associated with bodily interactions, emotion and language.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Additional Information: Special issue on "Cultures of Harm ", edited by Joanna Bourke and Louise Hyde. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication following peer review. The version of record is available online at the link above.
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): rape, police surgeons, history, forensic medical examiners, 1980s, sexual violence, body, history of medicine
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Historical Studies
    Depositing User: Administrator
    Date Deposited: 08 Feb 2017 10:51
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:31
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/18130

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