Chapter 10 - Climate and the American West

Summary

Prior to bacteriology, miasma theory advanced a climatic theory of health: vapors carrying disease were understood to be exacerbated by heat and humidity, and their dispersal changed depending on weather patterns. The story goes that germ theory corrected miasma’s mistakes, shifting attention away from humid, malodorous air and toward a new comprehension of the role played by microorganisms. But, in fact, a number of American writers resisted this paradigm shift. As these writers saw it, the dénouement of miasmatic depictions of disease heralded an evisceration of a familiar grammar of climatic reflexivity, which they felt compelled to retain and recuperate.