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.