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Accepted Paper:
Science and the gendered division of labor in the care of leprosy patients on Penghu island, Taiwan, 1950s-1980s
Hsiu-Yun Wang
(National Cheng Kung University)
This paper examines Marjorie Bly’s team work to understand how science and gender, as well as ethnicity, intersected in the care of leprosy that brought about an unexpected division of labor. By doing so, I hope to shed light on the situatedness of knowledge and practice.
Long abstract:
Marjorie Bly (1919-2008), an American Lutheran missionary nurse who cared for leprosy (Hanson’s disease) patients in Penghu island (Pescadores) for nearly five decades, is remembered for living a life of service. She is recognized as a pioneer and model of community nursing in Taiwan, caring for the patients in their own environment. She and her colleagues' work developing methods of Leprosy care and medical knowledge of Mycobacterium leprae, including technologies for examining the microbe, has received little scholarly attention. In addition, the gendered division of this scientific labor has not been explored. Bly’s team consisted of a local man (Steven Pan), two women (one local, one missionary nurse), and Bly herself. One of Bly’s main tasks was to examine patient specimens under the microscope to determine the needed care or treatment. Her team members carried out home visits to dispense medications, dress the chronic wounds, and collect specimens. This paper examines Marjorie Bly’s team work to understand how science and gender, as well as ethnicity, intersected in the care of leprosy that brought about an unexpected division of labor. By doing so, I hope to shed light on the situatedness of knowledge and practice.