Interview — Susan Wise Bauer
The author of “The Great Shadow” joins us to talk how history bears on today
Susan Wise Bauer is a historian and author of The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy. I reviewed her book a few weeks ago, and Joy attended a talk she gave William & Mary. Her engaging book seems to come from an era when the history of science existed outside of politics, restoring a calm sense of historical perspective much needed in these troubled times.
In addition teaching for 18 years at William and Mary and writing books, Bauer is a farmer and a publisher.
We discuss a grab-bag of topics, including:
- Kleenex
- How physicians evolved out of acolytes at temples
- The English sweat
- The library book panic
- Copernicus and corpses
We also share our “Discoveries of the Week:”
- Susan’s: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens=little-brown
- Kent’s: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242976013-how-the-internet-disrupted-science
- Joy’s: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=slow+vacuuming
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Music provided by Provoke the Truth — https://provokethetruth.net/
