Episode 55 – Polio in Hungary and the End of Epidemics with Dora Vargha
Dora Vargha (University of Exeter) sits down to talk about the impact of post-World War Two polio epidemics in Hungary and how these epidemics shed light on the end of…
Infectious Historians
Thanks for stopping by our website! We encourage you to listen to our podcast episodes, where we’ve included further information and readings on the topic. Feel free to check our blog, with posts written by ourselves as well as our guests to the podcast. You can find more information on infamous historical pandemics in the Further Reading tab. We’d love to hear more from you – feedback on previous episodes, suggestions for future episodes, or questions about specific historical pandemics. Let’s stay in touch!
Svenn-Erik Mamelund (OsloMet) comes on the podcast to talk about his research as a historical demographer, using one’s research to influence policy and conducting outreach.
Recent Episodes
Episode 54 – Alexandre Yersin with Michael Vann
Michael Vann (California State University, Sacramento) returns to the Infectious Historians podcast, this time to discuss Alexandre Yersin’s life from a critical perspective.
Episode 53 – Joshua Lederberg: Public Science and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases with Nathan Crowe
Nathan Crowe (U. of North Carolina-Wilmington) discusses the career of the scientist Joshua Lederberg and his role as a public scientist and policy influencer across the second half of the…
Episode 52 – 1st Anniversary!
Merle and Lee celebrate one year of Infectious Historians by reflecting on the past year, Covid, and the podcast.
Episode 51 – Yellow Fever in New Orleans with Urmi Engineer Willoughby
Urmi Engineer Willoughby (Pitzer College) talks to Merle and Lee about her work on Yellow Fever outbreaks in New Orleans across the 19th century.
Episode 50 – Ancient Medicine and Heresy with Jessica Wright
Jessica Wright (University of Sheffield) joins Merle and Lee to discuss her work linking ancient medicine and Christian heresy.
Episode 49 – The Medieval Translation Movement and Late Ancient Medical Texts with John Mulhall
John Mulhall (Harvard University) discusses what the medieval translation movement was and his own work on how late ancient authors innovated in their medical knowledge about plague.
Episode 48 – Black workers in the US Military: Immune or Infectious? with Khary Polk
Khary Polk (Amherst College) joins the Infectious Historians to discuss his work about Black laborers in the US military and their perceived immunity to infectious diseases in the first half…
Recent Posts
COVID-19 mortality
The media visibility of COVID-19 mortality Lee Mordechai / April 13, 2020 The current pandemic, like other disasters, reveals much about the workings of different societies. Mortality – the most…
Responses to a Pandemic: Past and Present
Responses to a Pandemic: Past and Present Abigail Agresta / April 9, 2020 “…Some people were of the opinion that a sober and abstemious mode of living considerably reduced the…
Quarantine in the 19th Century Mediterranean and Self-Isolation Today
Quarantine in the 19th Century Mediterranean and Self-Isolation Today Alex Chase-Levenson / April 3, 2020 Quarantines, in response to epidemic disease, were first set up in the wake of…
Gardening, Baking, and Cooking
Gardening, Baking, and Cooking Merle Eisenberg / March 30, 2020 I wanted to start off on a lighter note for this first blog post as a way to introduce you…