Infectious Historians

Troyen Brennan (Harvard University) joins the Infectious Historians to chat about his recent book which reflects on primary care in the United States. The conversation begins with an historical perspective, tracing the development of specializations within the practice of medicine from the mid-20th century onward and then specifically looking at how the primary care system changed over time. Troyen outlines the advantages and disadvantages with primary care practitioners, ranging from their workload to their pay, before discussing some of the incentives in the primary care system. Troyen also examines the extent to which primary care is influenced by changes in the federal and state governments, highlighting some of the major differences between states within the United States. Additional topics that were covered include the impact of Covid on the primary care system and, looking forward, some potential suggestions to improve the primary care system.

David Arnold (Warwick University, emeritus) joins Merle and Lee to chat about his recent book on pandemics in India since the 19th century. After the standard introductions, David reflects on the definition of pandemic and how it began to be used in the 1860s, with discussions of the role of Alfred Crosby’s book and the broader phenomena of writing about disease. The conversation then focuses on the three main diseases in India over the past couple of centuries: cholera, plague and influenza. David begins with the 19th century cholera pandemics, situating what turned out to be international events at their Indian source. He contrasts cholera and its memory between India and Britain, and examines how Indians conceptualized cholera at the time. He then moves on to the plague pandemic (“the Third plague pandemic”) and connects it to colonial politics and resistance, as well as by examining Indian responses to it. Finally, David reflects on why India is left out of the standard discussions of the 1918 influenza pandemic despite the high mortality it experienced at the time. The conversation concludes with a brief discussion of the impact and influence of Covid-19 in India.

John Blair (Oxford University) joins Merle and Lee on the podcast in a discussion about his new book, Vampire Epidemics. The episode begins, as usual, with a definition of a vampire, followed by a survey of where and when these supernatural creatures appear in writings. John then discusses the phenomenon of vampire epidemics over time, noting their increased prevalence after the appearance of the printing press and their association with persecution waves. Near the end of the interview the conversation also touches upon the study of supposedly “less serious” subjects, as well as how vampires entered popular culture.

Bruce Noden (Oklahoma State University) joins the podcast to talk about his research on entomology (the study of insects). Bruce introduces his field of study and the particular context of his work on insect-borne diseases in Oklahoma looking at ticks and mosquitoes. He discusses the impacts of climate change on insects as the state’s dry line moves East and recounts several “unusual” experiences with blood-sucking insects in the field. The discussion moves on to reflect on the kind of work Bruce and his students do, before Bruce talks us through the kinds of technology he uses and a few trends in research in his field over the past half century. 

Bruno Strasser (University of Geneva) and Thomas Schlich (McGill University) come on the Infectious Historians podcast to discuss their recent book on the history of masks. As usual, the episode begins with definitions, then moves to discuss some of the commonly known kinds of masks in history - such as the plague doctor bird-like beaked mask, or the masks worn in the US during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. The conversation addresses not only the masks themselves, but also their cultural meanings, the stereotypes associated with them, as well as the public’s reluctance to wear them. At the end of the interview Bruno and Thomas reflect on writing such a book during Covid, and share some of their experiences in co-authoring their book.

Brent Kaup (William & Mary University) and Kelly Austin (Lehigh University) come on the podcast to discuss their new book connecting disease and capitalism. They begin by discussing the financialization of America and link it as a cause of climate change. Financialization is also linked to diseases and specifically vector borne diseases through the suburbanization of areas such as Virginia. In parallel, Brent and Kelly also examine financialization in the context of malaria in Uganda, and how the increased exploitation of coffee created an environment that is more conducive to mosquitos, which coincided with a deterioration of the public health system. At the end of the interview, Brent and Kelly discuss how to do co-authorship. 

Eran Alam (Harvard University) speaks to the Infectious Historians about foreign healthcare workers in the US. The conversation begins with an examination of doctors in the US - how many are trained (and retire), different fields and different parts of the country. Historically, immigration has been a key way in which the US has historically addressed shortages of doctors. Eram highlights the different countries - particularly in South Asia - from which doctors immigrated to the US, where they became instrumental for the US healthcare system. At the same time, this migration also had long-term impacts on doctors’ home countries.

In this episode Merle and Lee speak with Eric Story (Western University) about his work on tuberculosis in the Canadian army during World War I. Eric begins by discussing disability studies and tuberculosis before focusing on the Canadian military during the war. As a social historian, Story examines the impacts of tuberculosis on different groups in Canadian society. He then expands on some of the attempts to treat tuberculosis through sanatoria while also calling attention to the fact that Canadian governments took care of soldiers’ present and future, investing substantial resources for this purpose. The conversation also includes a reflection on writing about tuberculosis during Covid, public health and the forgetting(?) of Covid.

Cam Grey (University of Pennsylvania) comes on the podcast to discuss his book on risk in the late Roman world. The conversation begins with a discussion of how to define disasters and risk, before moving on to examine the ways in which risk was conceived and mitigated in the past. Cam speaks about the importance of putting back together the human and natural worlds, but is also aware of how the problem of scales - as many small stories often do not add up to larger ones. He raises several other points reflective of his research, for example how late disasters and risk in the present influence our understanding of their counterparts in the past, or the importance of the state and its role in managing and mitigating disasters. More broadly, Cam argues that late antiquity is important because of a goldilocks effect - it has just enough - and not too much - sources to be able to produce a robust but also a near-comprehensive analysis.

Christoph Gradmann (University of Oslo) joins Merle and Lee to discuss his new book on 20th century tuberculosis in Tanzania seen through the records of Kibong'oto hospital, the main hospital that treated the disease in the region. The conversation begins with some context about Tanzania and its history during and after the colonial period. As a case study, Kibong'oto is important in two ways that comes across the discussion. First, it highlights tuberculosis as a 20th century disease, as opposed to the 19th century disease that appears in most textbooks. Second, it represents a story about biomedicine under difficult conditions - including patient resistance to certain treatments. In the discussion, Christoph points out some of the sources he uses - such as case books - and the changes in their quality over time. Before conclusion, Christoph also reflects on writing his book during Covid and goes into some detail in discussing Covid in Tanzania.