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'DOCTORS AND THE MEMORY OF CATASTROPHE' 14 - 17 April 2000, Southampton, UK Research into post-traumatic stress disorders and soldiers' memories of warfare has made considerable progress in recent years - especially in the wake of the World War I commemorations. Attention has usually focused on the experience of the victims of war atrocities and their lingering painful memories. We suggest to look at the experience of medical practitioners who were on duty during traumatic events such as the First World War, the Falkland War and natural catastrophes such as the Bhopal disaster, the floods in the wake of hurricanes in the Bay of Bengal and Central America, the earthquake in Afghanistan, and the tzunami in Papua New Guineau. Not only were doctors exposed to the traumatising events of warfare and natural disasters, but they were in addition supposed to deal with, and give medical as well as psychological support to, the victims of these catastrophes as part of their professional duty. This double-role as both 'victim' and 'rescuer of victims' in which doctors found themselves within circumstances that are out of the normal range of professional experience deserves further attention. It is aimed to explore further how doctors dealt with their own traumatic experiences while functioning as professional experts. It is further intended to investigate how practitioners remembered the catastrophic events, and how these memories impacted on their professional and private lives. Both written as well as oral evidence will be assessed. The conference panel on 'doctors and the memory of catastrope' represents a major theme at the conference on "The Memory of Catastrophe" which is organized by the Department of History at the University of Southampton. This international event aims at bringing together scholars from a range of academic disciplines, with an interest in catastrophes of any historical period, to discuss the ways in which these events are remembered and the impact those memories have upon the affected communities, be they local, national or international. To propose a paper for this conference panel, please send an abstract of 200-300 words to the organizers by March 31, 1999. Papers should combine an original contribution to the study of catastrophic memory with accessibility to a general academic audience, and should last no more than 40 minutes. For further information please contact: Dr. Waltraud Ernst E-mail: [log in to unmask] or Dr. Kendrick Oliver E-mail: [log in to unmask] or Dr. Peter Gray E-mail: [log in to unmask] Or write/fax to: Department of History, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK Fax: +44 (0)1703 593458 The Memory of Catastrophe conference is organized in association with the Parkes Centre for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, and City Heritage Services, Southampton City Council. Dr Waltraud Ernst Department of History University of Southampton Southampton SO17 1BJ [log in to unmask] Tel: 01703-596648 Fax: 01703-593458 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%