The discordant voices of blood: Hemolytic disease of the newborn, a family disease (nineteenth century–1930s)
Sage-Pranchère, Nathalie
The discordant voices of blood: Hemolytic disease of the newborn, a family disease (nineteenth century–1930s) - 2019.
66
While its etiology came to be understood only late in the twentieth century, hemolytic disease of the newborn (resulting from a blood incompatibility between the mother and the fetus) slowly came to be seen as a coherent pathology during the first half of the twentieth century. Rare but very lethal, the disease became a recurring object of concern among medical professionals. This article aims to show the construction of a scientific object, as well as the emergence of a socio-medical problem that affected nearly every newborn in some families. This study aims to shed light on the evolution of medical approaches to this disease, which was characterized both by its inclusion within a broader symptomatology (jaundices—more specifically neonatal ones—, as well as infant anemias and edemas) and its specific nature (a unique though polymorphous disease). As time went by, medical professionals made increasing use of the non-medical concept of “familiality” to describe the disease. Seen as a “predominant characteristic,” this concept reflects both the context in which knowledge about the disease was developed and the relationships between medical professionals and families.
The discordant voices of blood: Hemolytic disease of the newborn, a family disease (nineteenth century–1930s) - 2019.
66
While its etiology came to be understood only late in the twentieth century, hemolytic disease of the newborn (resulting from a blood incompatibility between the mother and the fetus) slowly came to be seen as a coherent pathology during the first half of the twentieth century. Rare but very lethal, the disease became a recurring object of concern among medical professionals. This article aims to show the construction of a scientific object, as well as the emergence of a socio-medical problem that affected nearly every newborn in some families. This study aims to shed light on the evolution of medical approaches to this disease, which was characterized both by its inclusion within a broader symptomatology (jaundices—more specifically neonatal ones—, as well as infant anemias and edemas) and its specific nature (a unique though polymorphous disease). As time went by, medical professionals made increasing use of the non-medical concept of “familiality” to describe the disease. Seen as a “predominant characteristic,” this concept reflects both the context in which knowledge about the disease was developed and the relationships between medical professionals and families.
Réseaux sociaux