HIV/AIDS: Patient Zero, History, and Popular Culture with Richard McKay

Episode 47 - February 4, 2021
Gaetan

Richard McKay (University of Cambridge) talks to Merle and Lee about his work on the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with a particular focus on Patient Zero and the history of the disease. After speaking about the problematic idea of the term Patient Zero, including its chance development, he discusses the early history of the epidemic and its popularization in broader public culture. He then turns to how these public perceptions of HIV/AIDS, and Covid, shape policy responses to disease along with some possible ways forward for historians to engage in public work in the future.

Our Guest

Richard McKay,

Wellcome Trust Research Fellow, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge.

Richard McKay