Rebecca Gowland

Some of the babies from by the medical school at the University of Otago were acquired from the Home of Compassion in Island Bay in Wellington. It was a home for foundlings who were abandoned, illegitimate and disabled children. Home of Compassion Archives

June 29, 2026

Medical museums often display infant remains – how they were acquired was frequently harrowing and involved eugenic thinking

Siân Halcrow, University of Otago and Rebecca Gowland, Durham University

The inequality, stigma and eugenic thinking that led to their acquisition is often obscured or erased.

Boys at Crumpsall Workhouse, Manchester, circa 1895-1897. Manchester Archives/Wikimedia Commons

July 14, 2020

Child malnutrition: lessons from the Victorian age

Rebecca Gowland, Durham University and Christian Harkensee, Newcastle University

Intergenerational poverty affected children’s health in the 18th and 19th centuries – we must be aware of the risks today.

EsHanPhot/Shutterstock

November 6, 2019

The human body never truly disappears – finding the remnants of a tragic end can help us uncover atrocities

Tim Thompson, Teesside University and Rebecca Gowland, Durham University

Scientific advances are allowing forensic archaeologists to shed light on mysteries long thought unsolvable.

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Medical museums often display infant remains – how they were acquired was frequently harrowing and involved eugenic thinking

Child malnutrition: lessons from the Victorian age

The human body never truly disappears – finding the remnants of a tragic end can help us uncover atrocities

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