PhD candidate Miriam F. Lipton recently published an article entitled “Bacteriophages and the Fight Against Cholera in Cold War Afghanistan: Could a Soviet-era therapy offer a new defense against antibiotic-resistant superbugs?” in Distillations, an online publication of the Science History Institute.
Lipton’s research explores antibiotic resistance and its development. Through this research, Lipton explores notions of what it means to be “right” and what kinds of consequences result from these historical realities. Lipton argues that this story offers a glimpse of an alternative to the usual scientific historical troupe. Antibiotics are often perceived historically as a transformative, pivotal point in medicine, an answer. In this story though, antibiotics failed to do what they touted, and instead, non-Western science prevailed and helped end the epidemic. For Lipton, this was an important perspective to offer readers.
Of her first professional publication, Lipton says she had a positive experience.
“The entire process was quite fulfilling. The edits I received were thoughtful and helped me develop the best story.”
Lipton on the publication process with Distillations
Distillations works to make science history accessible to a broader audience, something Lipton says is important in her work as an historian.
“I love that anyone now has the ability to read my work, with the added benefit of them learning something along the way. I feel as though a lot of my work has contemporary relevance, so any way that I am able to get my research out to the public is an enormous accomplishment, and one that I am humbled to be able to have so early on in my research. .”
Lipton on accessible histories of science
Congratulations, Miriam!
CATEGORIES: Graduate Students