This was the subject of a lecture last night by Dr Kathryn Harkup at The Artrix in Bromsgrove. Organised by County Public Affairs, we were treated to an entertaining look at some of the dangerous practices used in the past in pursuit of looking beautiful. The disfiguring horrors of white lead, famously used by Queen Elizabeth I, the terrifying practices of dentists, the vast use of arsenic in face masks and the like: these were just some of the topics covered. Dr Harkrup explained how these substances were used, the science behind their effects and the dangers they presented; all done in an entertaining yet informative way. Suffice to say for once, we were all pretty glad that Health & Safety had played its part in stopping such practices.
Who can resist tales of schooldays? Well we couldn't and at our last meeting, we had one of our own (well she used to be!) reliving her days as a teacher at a local boarding school. Whilst it was clear that the school perhaps didn't have the best of facilities, there was plenty of enthuisiasm and tales of adventure; Heath & Safety didn't have much of a look in those days. Although having left the school many years ago, our speaker was still in touch with many of the staff and some pupils, showing clearly the sense of family within the school - a great talk!
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