I reviewed @carlzimmer.com's new book Airborne. "His book is an enthralling historical exploration of the role of airborne microorganisms in disease, and examines why these pathogens have been overlooked for centuries." www.nature.com/articles/d41... /1 - ThreadSky

linseymarr.bsky.social • 6 days ago

I reviewed @carlzimmer.com's new book Airborne.

"His book is an enthralling historical exploration of the role of airborne microorganisms in disease, and examines why these pathogens have been overlooked for centuries."

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00459-8

/1

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chrisiddon.bsky.social•3 days ago

odd that this review suggests that Mildred Weeks showed that UV reduced colds and flu, when she didn't think that likely when a research group set out to study respiratory illnesses amongst participants of her Pleasantville study (and indeed they found no effect of UV)

https://bsky.app/profile/chrisiddon.bsky.social/post/3laywiepcek2f

chrisiddon.bsky.social•3 days ago

and Wells notes on the Perkins study there were no effects of UV on upper respiratory infections

chrisiddon.bsky.social•3 days ago

nor was any affect on incidence of colds seen in the Germantown study (though some suggestion that maybe kids in irradiated classrooms are more likely to get colds elsewhere)

linseymarr.bsky.social•3 days ago

My mistake. Requesting correction.

chrisiddon.bsky.social•3 days ago

Ah, so it's not a claim from the book. Maybe I might read it then, as I assumed that it hadn't been well researched. Tho no mention of Cretyl Mills..hope she gets a mention in the book

linseymarr.bsky.social•3 days ago

Cretyl Mills is mentioned in the book.

chrisiddon.bsky.social•3 days ago

great, her diligence to data collection uncovered the potential difference in quanta emission rates between patients in the TB study

wisepitador.bsky.social•6 days ago

Real miasma theory in ancient texts was basically airborne transmission from person to person. Nightingale got it right too. We followed the misinformers like Chapin who wanted to destroy mask use (developed in China) after the great influenza. The misinformation people never have evidence.

paulamarieyoung.bsky.social•6 days ago

janehobson.bsky.social•6 days ago

📌

tychespawn.bsky.social•6 days ago

Over a long life, I've noticed that medicine has increasingly boarded the scientific method bandwagon, and so awakened to the wonders of testing assumptions no matter how old and revered. A bit unsettling for them I'm sure, but a relief for the rest of us.

jusdayda.bsky.social•6 days ago

Probably could explain how Flu moves farm to farm during drought hopping a ride aboard dust or soot particles shielded from the sun?
…just a thought
As drought spreads across Midwest farmland yet another summer
Spread in birds=spread in herds?

sansnom.bsky.social•6 days ago

I'm curious what changed. We've got kids riding school buses with zero filtration, they're huffing PM2.5 during the summer and airborne pathogens when its cold. Come on, you don't have anyone at VT that is curious about this?

linseymarr.bsky.social•6 days ago

William Wells usually receives most of the credit for research on airborne transmission in the mid-1900s, but Zimmer shows how Mildred Wells was at least an equal driver of and contributor to the work. My original phrasing of "Mildred Wells and her husband William..." got edited.

/2

linseymarr.bsky.social•6 days ago

It's almost always written as "William Wells and his wife Mildred..." I wanted to give Mildred her props. She was the MD. He did not have an advanced degree, as far as I can tell.

/3

wrigleyfield.bsky.social•6 days ago

Wish they’d let you keep the phrasing that made your point!

When I was in grad school, I heard an eminent speaker, who founded my subfield, refer to a paper by “Finkelstein and his daughter.” I looked around the big audience to find the other people visibly reacting to the sexism. But nobody was.

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