Adam
Had ‘em
That is, of course, the entirety of the famous poem “Fleas, Or Lines on the Antiquity of Microbes” by Strickland Gillilan. Meant of course to be a clever example of how much could be communicated in very few words, the poem also touches upon a bit of anthropological truth: fleas, as well as lice, rats, and other creatures that now inspire feelings ranging between disgust and horror have been fellow travelers to humans since humans began.
However as Prof. Lisa T. Sarasohn explores and explains in her new book Getting Under Our Skin; The Cultural and Social History of Vermin, these ubiquitous long time companions of our species at some point in our history, became something more than the mundane nuisances that vexed our mythological first forefather; they carried with them the famous mark of his son Cain and imparted it to all known or suspected to be found with them.
For all interested in the history of science, social history, the history of medicine, and of course entomology, Getting Under Our Skin is certainly a book worthy of notice. And, if a taste of just what Prof. Sarasohn finds most interesting about her extensive research on the subject that she put into this new book, she recently sat for an interview with Galina Limorenko of the New Books Network’s Science podcast that is very much worth hearing.
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