Inventing with bacteriology: controversy over anti-cholera therapeutic serum and tensions between transnational science and local practice in Tokyo and Berlin (1890-1902)
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Late 19th-century cholera serum controversies reveal tensions between global bacteriology research and local medical practices. Analyzing Kitasato Shibasaburo
Area Of Science
- History of Science
- Medical Bacteriology
- Epidemiology
Background
- Late 19th-century saw rapid advancements in bacteriology for epidemic control.
- Transnational scientific collaborations were crucial but faced local challenges.
- Cholera serum development sparked significant debate among international researchers.
Purpose Of The Study
- To analyze the material, epistemological, and social dimensions of anti-cholera serum controversies.
- To explore conflicting values in scientific evidence construction during bacteriology's expansion.
- To examine the interplay between global research and local medical practices in public health.
Main Methods
- Historical case study focusing on Kitasato Shibasaburo's anti-cholera serum trial in Japan (1895).
- Analysis of animal experiments and clinical cases from Germany, France, and Egypt.
- Examination of contemporary criticisms regarding methodology and social value of experimental therapies.
Main Results
- Kitasato's trial, intended to provide new data, faced criticism from Japanese and German colleagues.
- Critics questioned the methods and social utility of the experimental serum therapy.
- Significant tension existed between transnational research and local public health needs.
Conclusions
- Transnational bacteriology research often conflicted with local medical practices during epidemics.
- Understanding the local, national, and transnational frameworks is vital for analyzing laboratory science and clinical medicine integration.
- The study highlights the complex socio-material factors influencing scientific evidence in public health.
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