Resist

When Greeks Flew Kites

In this monthly series, broadcaster and acclaimed historical novelist Sarah Dunant, delves into the past to help frame the present, bringing to life worlds that span the centuries.

This month Sarah is looking at antibiotic resistance. As health professions working today consider how to tackle a looming crisis, Sarah's historians look to the past for lessons that may help us cope with a world where diseases we thought were curable are back in existence. Sarah and guests examine how history shows us that diseases can pose a challenge not only to our health but to society because of the prejudices and lack of cooperation they can expose.

But there's a surprising and hopeful lesson from the Cold War in how cooperation can take place even in times of intense conflict.

Sarah's guests this month are: Helen Bynum, historian of medicine and honorary research associate at University College London. Kevin Siena, Associate Professor in History at Trent University in Canada Lukas Engelmann, historian of medicine from the University of Edinburgh Dora Varga, lecturer in medical humanities at the university of Exeter

The programme takes its name from the industrialist Henry Ford who, in 1921 reportedly told the New York Times, "History is Bunk" and asked "What difference does it make how many times the ancient Greeks flew kites?"

Presenter: Sarah Dunant Producers: Katherine Godfrey and Nathan Gower Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.