Abstract
In June 1913, Dr Joshua Sweet, Assistant Professor of Surgical Research at the University of Pennsylvania, was charged with ‘unnecessary cruelty to dogs’. Sweet’s trial would take place the following April. My account of that trial, its context and its aftermath, is primarily concerned with the contested experience of ‘humanity’: a nebulous concept that incorporates other-oriented feelings and practices, couched in broader social and moral frameworks. Ultimately, it is an account of the contextual entanglement of humane feelings – emotions and senses – with practices, politics, belief systems, knowledge systems, professional networks, gender and class dynamics and moral/ethical imperatives.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Journal | Emotions: History, Culture, Society |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 22 Oct 2024 |
Publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- cruelty
- ethics
- humanity
- medicine
- morality
Publication forum classification
- Publication forum level 1
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- History
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)