Internationally acclaimed forensic pathologist Dr John Clark gave the 2026 Poynter Lecture entitled “Buried Evidence” on Saturday 20 June.
The lecture took place at University of St Andrews as part of the summer meeting of the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine. A report of the lecture is available in the summer of edition of the BSHM Newsletter. 
In addition to a career in Aberdeen, Sheffield and Glasgow, John has been Chief Pathologist for the International Criminal Tribunal in the former Yugoslavia relating to the investigation of mass graves from the Balkans Wars. His expertise has also led to involvement with the International Criminal Court, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the European Court of Human Rights, where his expert testimony played a major role in convicting three former heads of state on charges of war crimes.
Pathologists continue to play a major role in the investigation of mass deaths in conflicts and war crimes. In recognition of this significant and often harrowing aspect of the history of medicine, BSHM thanks Dr Clark for this important lecture.
See the BSHM Summer Newsletter for a report.
About the Poynter Lecture
The BSHM biennial Poynter Lecture commemorates the many and varied contributions of Noël Poynter’s to the study of the history of medicine. Poynter, past president of BSHM, was Director of the Wellcome Institute of the History of Medicine from 1964 to 1973. The lecture takes place in alternate years with the BSHM Congress.