Clean: An Unsanitised History of Washing
Jan 2011 · Profile Books
Ebook
368
Pages
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About this ebook
'I return to Paris in five days. Stop washing.' So wrote Napoleon to Josephine in an age when body odour was considered an aphrodisiac. In stark contrast, the Romans used to bath for hours each day. Ashenburg's investigation of history's ambivalence towards personal hygiene takes her through plague-ridden streets, hospitals and battlefields. From the bizarre prescriptions of doctors to the eccentricities of famous bathers, she presents us with all the twists and turns that have led us to our own, arbitrary notion of 'clean'.
About the author
Katherine Ashenburg has worked as an academic, a radio producer and Arts and Books editor of the Globe and Mail. She has written for the New York Times and her books include The Mourner's Dance: What We Do When People Die. She lives in Toronto.
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