Article
ID: CBB158989443

A Historical and Political Epistemology of Microbes (2020)

unapi
Medicine Biotechnology Biotechnology industry Science and society Industry Germ theory of disease Colonialism National histories Agriculture Virology Bacteriology Microbiology 20th century, early 19th century Europe Margulis, Lynn

This article traces the historical co-evolution of microbiology, bacteriology, and virology, framed within industrial and agricultural contexts, as well as their role in colonial and national history between the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. The epistemology of germ theory, coupled with the economic interests of European colonies, has shaped the understanding of human-microbial relationships in a reductionist way. We explore a brief history of the medical and biological sciences, focusing on microbes and the difficulty of implementing germ theory outside of biology laboratories. Furthermore, we highlight the work of Lynn Margulis, who conceptualized microbes within their ecological contexts. Such research shows the active role microbes play in handling life-sustaining biological and biochemical processes. We outline how the industrial and technological advancements of the last two centuries not only impacted almost all human societies, but also changed the world on microbial, biological, and geological levels. The narration of these histories is a complex task, and depends on how national, international, and intergovernmental institutions (such as the World Health Organization) conceive of the selective environmental pressures exerted by industry and biotechnological companies.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB158989443/

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Authors & Contributors
Sankaran, Neeraja
Chakrabarti, Pratik
Seitz, John Britton
Megan Kari Nixon
Newman, Laura
Tamburello, Marcella
Journals
Notes and Records: The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science
Vesalius
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Medicina nei Secoli - Arte e Scienza
Medical History
Korean Journal of Medical History
Publishers
University of Rochester Press
Southern Methodist University
Iowa State University
Routledge
Boston Medical Library in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Concepts
Microbiology
Bacteriology
Germ theory of disease
Medicine
Disease and diseases
Colonialism
People
Tiberio, Vincenzo
Koch, Robert
Smith, Theobald
Rous, Fancis Peyton
Lwoff, André
Lister, Joseph, Baron
Time Periods
19th century
20th century, early
20th century
21st century
20th century, late
Places
England
India
United States
Australia
Great Britain
Tropics
Institutions
Royal Society of London
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