Work

"Life in a Germ-Free World": Isolating Life from the Laboratory Animal to the Bubble Boy

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: 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.

Source: Bulletin of the history of medicine

DOI: 10.1353/bhm.2012.0028

Author: Robert G. W. Kirk

Institution: University of Manchester

Language: English

Topic: History of Science and Medicine

Subfield: History and Philosophy of Science

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Wellcome Trust

Awards: Managing Morals: Animal experiment and animal welfare in Britain c.1947-1986., Managing Morals: Animal experiment and animal welfare in Britain c.1947-1986.