Dirt: A Social History as Seen Through the Uses and Abuses of Dirt

by Terence McLaughlin

Overview

Delve into the fascinating world of dirt in this history of culture, cleanliness, and our evolving perceptions of what is and isn’t gross.
 
In this engaging and often humorous study of life’s imperfections, public health and hygiene authority Terence McLaughlin dissects our attitudes toward the filth that has accompanied society throughout human history. According to him, “dirt” is a matter of opinion.
 
Cultural attitudes about everything from factory smoke to personal hygiene are constantly shifting with the economic and political exigencies of the era. McLaughlin cites Old Testament examples of cleanliness which, unbeknownst at the time, helped protect the observant from the plague. The famous baths of ancient Rome were seen as progress for personal hygiene, and later scorned by Christians who rejected all things Roman.
 
With a litany of fascinating examples, McLaughlin sheds light on how we accept or reject substances. Dirt is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand how we shape our environment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781648371028
Publisher:	Echo Point Books
Publication date:	12/15/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	233
Sales rank:	568,707
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Terence McLaughlin (1928-1980) graduated university with a bachelor of science in chemistry and was employed as a research chemist at Unilever Corporation, achieving the post of company director. Subsequently he founded a consulting firm and began writing a series of scientific textbooks. Encouraged by his wife, Eve, a historian, he turned his attention to writing history and science books for the general public, becoming an authority on public health and hygiene. The present book (first published as Coprophilia) delves into the relationship humankind has had with dirt and cleanliness through the ages.