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Article ID: CBB001251111

“Life in a Germ-Free World”: Isolating Life from the Laboratory Animal to the Bubble Boy (2012)

Kirk, Robert (Author)

Bulletin of the History of Medicine
Volume: 86, no. 2
Issue: 2
Pages: 237-275

DOI: 10.1353/bhm.2012.0028

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This article examines a specific technology, the germ-free "isolator," tracing its development across three sites: (1) the laboratory for the production of standard laboratory animals, (2) agriculture for the efficient production of farm animals, and (3) the hospital for the control and prevention of cross-infection and the protection of individuals from infection. Germ-free technology traveled across the laboratory sciences, clinical and veterinary medicine, and industry, yet failed to become institutionalized outside the laboratory. That germ-free technology worked was not at issue. Working, however, was not enough. Examining the history of a technology that failed to find widespread application reveals the labor involved in aligning cultural, societal, and material factors necessary for successful medical innovation.

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Description On germ-free “isolator” technology, in laboratory, agricultural, and hospital settings.

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