Conférencier afro-descendant sur la cure par l’eau froide.

Conférencier afro-descendant sur la cure par l’eau froide.

“This is one of four offensive caricatures that use ethnicity as the context for ridiculing contemporary pseudo-science. By making the lecturer black and using racist language and style in the accompanying ‘lecture’ text, the series attacks the fashion for scientific lectures and the subjects being presented. They play on attributes then stereotypically seen as being inherent to the black population, including drunkenness, dirt, thieving, lechery and lack of education. This lecture focuses on cold water therapy, which was a popular but controversial way to treat health conditions. The lecture text suggests water as a ‘cure’ for the audience from the stereotypical ills listed above” (source : https://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co8014518).