mandatory bath punishment
Type of torture known as “mandatory bath,” in which a prisoner (here a British prisoner aboard a convict ship bound for Australia) had his skin scraped off with a brush.
torture
- Key People:
- Elizabeth Báthory
- Klaus Barbie
- Prospero Farinacci
- Related Topics:
- corporal punishment
- waterboarding
- rack
- ducking stool
torture, the infliction of severe physical or mental pain or suffering for a purpose, such as extracting information, coercing a confession, or inflicting punishment. It is normally committed by a public official or other person exercising comparable power and authority. Although the effectiveness of torture has been defended by many throughout history, notably Aristotle and Sir Francis Bacon, it was attacked as early as Roman times for encouraging its victims to lie. In ancient Greece and Rome, physical torture was lawfully used, usually on noncitizens or slaves, as a means of obtaining information or confessions. Later, in early medieval Europe, ...(100 of 1578 words)