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: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 328 pages
\n Publication date: 16 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. Through her meticulous exploration, Jenny Bangham delves into the intricate web of connections that unite the early infrastructures of blood transfusion with the evolution of human genetics. With a particular focus on mid-twentieth-century Britain, Blood Relations weaves a captivating narrative that intertwines histories of eugenics with the local politics of blood donation, unveiling how the exchange of blood forged networks that transformed human populations into objects of medical surveillance and scientific inquiry. Bangham unveils the profound impact of two world wars on biology, the tireless efforts of scientists to define racial categories, and the persuasive strategies employed by public health officials to elevate genetics to the status of a human science. In contemporary times, genetics wields immense authority over human health and identity, and Blood Relations serves as a valuable lens through which we can comprehend the intricate processes that led to this authoritative status.

\n Weight: 516g\n
Dimension: 153 x 230 x 23 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780226740034\n \n