Episode 43 – Ebola Outbreaks in West Africa with Adia Benton
Adia Benton (Northwestern University) discusses the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak and why Ebola, as a charismatic disease, has such a powerful hold over our imagination.
Merle
Episode 41 – The Justinianic Plague and the Making of the Plague Concept
Merle and Lee discuss a recent article that they wrote on the Justinianic Plague that has been published, and tie it to some of the discussions they’ve had on the podcast.
Episode 39 – Environmental History: Past, Present, and Future with John McNeill
John McNeill (Georgetown University) discusses the state of the field of environmental history including its development, what it looks like now, and where it might be going.
Episode 37 – The Local Effects of Covid in Kansas City with A.J. Herrmann
A.J. Herrmann (Director of Policy for Mayor Quinton Lucas of Kansas City, Missouri) talks about how he helped develop and implement Covid policies for Kansas City and the responses and difficulties in the city since March.
Episode 35 – Ancient Malaria with David Pickel
David Pickel (Stanford University) discusses malaria in the ancient world with a focus on Roman Italy.
Episode 33 – Syphilis and Sexual Health in the United States (1890-1940) with Elliott Bowen
Elliott Bowen (Nazarbayev University) discusses syphilis and sexual health in Hot Springs, Arkansas with Merle and Lee
Episode 31 – Indigenous Perceptions of Disease: Smallpox in Mexico with Tara Malanga
Tara Malanga (Rutgers University) joins Merle and Lee to discuss indigenous perceptions of disease in the context of post-Contact Mexico.
Episode 29 – Vaccinations and anti-Vaxxers with Jim Harris
Jim Harris (Ohio State University) discusses the development of vaccinations and anti-vaccination sentiments since the 18th century.
Episode 27 – Sleeping Sickness in East Africa with Mari Webel
Mari Webel (University of Pittsburgh) talks to Merle and Lee about sleeping sickness and the impact of colonization in East Africa.
Episode 25 – Germ Theory and Popular Culture with Nancy Tomes
Nancy Tomes (Stony Brook) discusses the development of Germ Theory and how its ideas spread through advertising and other popular media.
Episode 23 – Myths and Legends about the Black Death
Merle and Lee discuss the late antique Justinianic Plague (c. 541-750), their current topic of research.
Episode 21 – Iran in the Age of Cholera with Amir Afkhami
Amir Afkhami (George Washington University) talks about modern cholera pandemics with a focus on their impact on Iran.
Episode 19 – Plague and Contagion in the Medieval Islamic World with Justin Stearns
Liat Kozma (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) discusses the development of medicine in the Middle East.
Episode 17 – Resilience and Rebounding from Crises with John Haldon
John Haldon (Princeton University) discusses the idea of resilience to systemic crises with a focus on the seventh-century Byzantine Empire.
Episode 15 – Diseases and Native Americans from Colonial Hawaii to Covid-19 with Seth Archer
Seth Archer (Utah State) discusses the various diseases that devastated Native Americans focusing on their impact in Hawaii.
Episode 13 – Medieval Public Health with Guy Geltner and Janna Coomans
Guy Geltner and Janna Coomans join Merle and Lee to talk about what public health was like in medieval cities and why their work has important political implications for today.
Episode 11 – Tuberculosis in the Ancient World
Julia Simons talks to Merle and Lee about the evidence for tuberculosis and its effects around the Ancient World.
Episode 9 – Public Health in the mid-20th Century
Thomas Zimmer speaks with Merle and Lee about the emergence and development of global public health from World War Two to the present.
Episode 7 – Links between Environmental Justice and COVID-19
Fushcia Hoover sits down to talk to Merle and Lee about the connections between environmental justice and the impact of COVID-19 on a community level.
Episode 5 – The Black Death Part 2: Central Asia
Merle and Lee talk to Phil Slavin about the evidence for the impact of the Black Death in Central Asia before it arrived more famously in Europe.
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 risk of infection. They therefore… Read More »Responses to a Pandemic: Past and Present
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 the Black Death and the… Read More »Quarantine in the 19th Century Mediterranean and Self-Isolation Today
Episode 3 – Quarantine in the Past & Social Distancing Today
Merle and Lee have their first guest, Alex Chase-Levenson, on the podcast to discuss historical quarantine and its relationship to social distancing in the present.
Episode 1 – Plagues in Human History
Merle and Lee discuss the most famous disease in human history, the plague, and give an overview of its impact.
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 to all sorts of things… Read More »Gardening, Baking, and Cooking