The uses of death: plant virus research in Britain between 1926 and 1979

本论文涉及20世纪中叶英国植物病毒研究的历史。它侧重于20世纪20年代至70年代期间国家资助的植物病毒学研究的发展，从马铃薯病毒研究站的成立到约翰·因尼斯研究所病毒研究单位的合并。植物病毒学研究在20世纪发生了深刻的变化：从雷德克里夫·N·萨拉曼的土豆花园到罗伊·马克姆领导的现代实验室。尽管最近人们的兴趣有所增加，但英国的农业研究历史仍未得到充分探索，在此背景下，人们对植物病毒学知之甚少。相比之下，植物育种的表现要好得多。考虑到植物病毒对植物育种者的挑战的重要性，奇怪的是，对病理学及其研究的关注仍然如此之少。我的主要研究兴趣是农业和农业科学研究在人类历史上的作用。我的方法遵循科学和环境史学的当前趋势，学者们将注意力集中在科学实践的多种形式的物质性的不同方面。我打算使用广泛的资料来源，包括文献资料、材料和口头资料，特别强调约翰·因尼斯中心档案馆所保存的资料。我对那些将工作做法和重要性联系起来的项目特别感兴趣。

This dissertation proposal concerns the history of plant virus research in mid-20th century Britain. It focuses on the development of state-sponsored plant virology research between the 1920s and the 1970s, from the inception of thePotato Virus Research Station till the incorporation of the Virus Research Unit in the John Innes Institute. Plant virologyresearch deeply changed in the course of the 20th century: from Redcliffe N. Salaman's potato gardens to the modernlaboratories led by Roy Markham. Despite recent growth in interest, the history of agricultural research in Britain remainsunderexplored and within this context plant virology is poorly understood. By contrast, plant breeding has fared muchbetter. Given the recognised importance of plant viruses as a challenge for the plant breeder it is odd that such still littleattention has been devoted to pathologies and their investigation. My main research interest is the role of agriculture andagricultural scientific research in human history. My approach follows current trends in the historiographies of scienceand environment, with scholars focusing their attention on different aspects of the multiform materiality of scientificpractice. I intend to use a wide range of sources, both documentary, material, and oral, with particular emphasis on thosehold by the archives of the John Innes Centre. I am particularly interested in those items that link work practices andmateriality.