After Life: A History of Death

That the Parliament congratulates the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on its current After Life: A History of Death exhibition, taking place at its Queen Street building; understands that the exhibition explores changing views of death from antiquity to the present day and that it uses the remarkable collections of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and its library, which is Scotland’s oldest and largest medical library, to present the history of death; notes with interest that the exhibition features an original copy of Napoleon Bonaparte’s post-mortem and a diary documenting the last days of celebrated Edinburgh physician, James Young Simpson, who is well known as an obstetrician who identified the anaesthetic properties of chloroform; further notes that items displayed also contain a broadside proclaiming the execution of famous Edinburgh murderer, William Burke; understands that the exhibition also includes a photography selection, loaned from the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care, which explores an old African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child", meaning that children need the input and support of their whole community to grow into well-rounded adults; believes that it also raises the question of whether it also "takes a village" to support someone who is dying; understands that those who have attended the exhibition state that it is powerful and challenging; encourages everyone to visit the exhibition to explore what it sees as the important, and often under-discussed, topic of death, and thanks the dedicated team that has put the exhibition together.