Blood Relations: Transfusion and the Making of Human Genetics

Blood is messy, dangerous, and charged with meaning. Jenny Bangham explores the intimate connections between the early infrastructures of blood transfusion and the development of human genetics, focusing on mid-twentieth-century Britain. She reveals how biology was transformed by two world wars, how scientists have worked to define racial categories, and how the practices and rhetoric of public health made genetics into a human science.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 328 pages
\n Publication date: 23 November 2020
\n Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
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Blood, a complex and perilous substance, holds profound significance within human existence. By tracing its journey as it circulates through individuals and institutions, Jenny Bangham delves into the intricate web of connections between the early infrastructures of blood transfusion and the emergence of human genetics. With a particular focus on mid-twentieth-century Britain, Blood Relations weaves together histories of eugenics with the local politics of blood donation, illuminating how the exchange of blood forged networks that transformed human populations into objects of medical surveillance and scientific inquiry. Through her meticulous research, Bangham unveils how biology was profoundly impacted by two world wars, how scientists have strived to define racial categories, and how the practices and rhetoric of public health have elevated genetics to the status of a human science.

Today, genetics wields immense authority over human health and identity, and Blood Relations serves as a valuable lens through which to comprehend the origins of this authority. By exploring the intricate interplay between blood, genetics, and public health, this book offers a profound understanding of the complex forces that have shaped our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.

\n Weight: 658g\n
Dimension: 159 x 235 x 28 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780226739977\n \n