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Acid Attacks in Britain, 1760–1975

ISBN:
978-3-03-127274-5
Verlag:
Palgrave Pivot, Springer International Publishing
Land des Verlags:
Schweiz
Erscheinungsdatum:
27.10.2024
Reihe:
World Histories of Crime, Culture and Violence
Format:
Softcover
Seitenanzahl:
135
Ladenpreis
43,99EUR (inkl. MwSt. zzgl. Versand)
Lieferung in 3-4 Werktagen Versandkostenfrei ab 40 Euro in Österreich

This Palgrave Pivot examines the history of the largely urban offence once known as vitriol throwing because the substance most commonly used was strong sulphuric acid, oil of vitriol. A relatively rare form of assault, it was motivated largely by revenge or jealousy and, because it was specifically designed to blind and mutilate, commonly targeted the victim’s face. The incidence of what was thus widely acknowledged to be an exceptionally cruel crime plateaued in the period 1850–1930 amid a sometimes surprisingly lenient legal response, before declining as a result of post-war social changes. In examining the factors that influenced both the crime and its punishment, the book makes an important contribution to criminal justice history by illuminating the role of gender, law and emotion from the perspective of both victim and perpetrator.

Biografische Anmerkung

Katherine D. Watson is Reader in History at Oxford Brookes University, UK. Her research interests focus on topics where medicine, crime and the law intersect, particularly in Britain since the seventeenth century. She is the author of Medicine and Justice: Medico-Legal Practice in England and Wales, 1700–1914 (2020).