Historian Miriam Leander Petersen illuminates a fascinating and obscure chapter of Danish medical history. After World War II, Copenhagen was marked by a flourishing nightlife with American soldiers and sailors. This interaction led to rising cases of venereal diseases and intense societal debates about young women's sexual behavior.
The lecture examines daily examinations at Balders Hospital in Nørrebro, which from 1946 specialized in venereal and skin diseases. We explore how medicine, politics and morality intersect, as well as the hospital's role in combating infectious diseases – and not least how women were treated and stigmatized in this process.
Miriam Leander Petersen works on the project "The Healthy Skin: Cultural-Theoretical Explorations of Human's Visible Organ" at the University of Copenhagen and contributes here with insights from the City Archives' collections and historical sources.
