Blood

Author: Iosifina Foskolou and Martin Jones Series: Darwin College Lectures

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Blood - this most familiar of fluids carries us beyond biology, through society, myth, and to who we think we are.

Blood is an indispensable fluid: its complex composition is finely attuned to life's needs and functions. At the same time, blood can also be a signifier of death, and 'bloody' is used as a curse. This volume examines the many contrasting meanings of blood from diverse and illuminating perspectives.

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Summary

Blood - this most familiar of fluids carries us beyond biology, through society, myth, and to who we think we are.

Description

Blood is life, its complex composition is finely attuned to our vital needs and functions. Blood can also signify death, while 'bloody' is a curse. Arising from the 2021 Darwin College Lectures, this volume invites leading thinkers on the subject to explore the many meanings of blood across a diverse range of disciplines. Through the eyes of artist Marc Quinn, the paradoxical nature of blood plays with the notion of self. Through those of geneticist Walter Bodmer, it becomes a scientific reality: bloodlines and diaspora capture our notions of community. The transfer of blood between bodies, as Rose George relates, can save lives, or as we learn from Claire Roddie can cure cancer. Tim Pedley and Stuart Egginton explore the extraordinary complexity of blood as a critical biological fluid. Sarah Read examines the intimate connection between blood and womanhood, as Carol Senf does in her consideration of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

About the Author

Iiosifina Foskolou is a cancer biologist with joint appointments in Amsterdam and Cambridge. She has authored numerous scientific journal articles and received research awards/grants in Oxford, Cambridge, and the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm. She is a strong advocate of women in science. Martin Jones is an archaeologist with an interest in food and diet. He is editor/co-editor of eight volumes, author of 150 scientific papers and four books. Among those books, Feast: Why Humans Share Food received the 2008 Food Book of the Year Award from the Guild of Food Writers.