Stark, J orcid.org/0000-0002-0638-0804 (Cover date: September 2023) Making Microbes: Theorising the Invisible in Historical Scholarship. Isis, 114 (S1). S85-S103. ISSN 0021-1753
Abstract
From ancient theorization about invisible forces to the advent of modern microbiology, the pursuit of a detailed understanding of organisms invisible to the human eye has been a recurrent focus in philosophical and scientific communities and beyond. This article interrogates some of the dominant themes of historical scholarship in this area, highlighting in particular the increasing recognition of the social dimension of microbes and microbial science. It also reflects on the porosity between pre- and post-bacteriological concepts of disease and disease causation, noting the continuity of practice observed by many historians of the modern period. Since we are at present grappling with a crisis of antimicrobial resistance, long in the making, the article draws together scholarship which helps us to make sense of how science has framed microbial organisms and our interactions with them. This provides a platform for researchers to explore new responses to contemporary microbiology, as well as find new ways to interrogate past trends.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: | |
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 History of Science Society. This is an author produced version of an article published in Isis. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > School of Philosophy (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 09 Feb 2022 15:13 |
Last Modified: | 02 Sep 2024 08:05 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | University of Chicago Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1086/726982 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:183239 |