EP #374 - 11.09.2021 - The History of Infectious Respiratory Diseases

Today I welcome Tom Ewing and Katharine Randall, authors of "How did we get here: what are droplets and aerosols and how far do they go? A historical perspective on the transmission of respiratory infectious diseases.”

Tom Ewing is a professor of history and associate dean at Virginia Tech. His current research projects include studies of influenza pandemics, including the 1889-1892 Russian flu and the 1918-1919 Spanish flu, and a history of Virginia’s first tuberculosis sanatoria, Catawba and Piedmont, in collaboration with Katherine Randall and Kiana Wilkerson. In 2020, he worked with graduate students from Virginia Tech to understand the use of masks during the 1918 pandemic, which resulted in essays published in the Washington Post, Health Affairs blog, Items (SSRC), and Nursing Clio.

Katherine Randall is a visiting lecturer of technical communication at the University of Central Florida. Her most recent research projects include a rhetorical history of the scientific understanding around airborne transmission, a history of Piedmont and Catawba tuberculosis sanatoria, and an exploration of the role of health communication in refugee resettlement in the United States.