Outputs

Plastic part of a dialysis device is deconstructed on a blue background.

Toxic Asepsis: Chemical Sterilization and the Rise of Disposable Medical Devices in the 20th Century

Eloïse Richard and Bruno Strasser’s AAHM 2026 presentation explored how disposable medical devices became associated with safety, efficiency and convenience, and what histories of resistance might offer for rethinking healthcare practices today.

Various medical waste bags are stacked against a wall at Fann Hospital in Dakar, Senegal.

Following Waste: Insights from CRCF’s Research at Fann Hospital, Senegal

Blog posts

This article shares insights from CRCF’s research at Fann Hospital in Senegal, following the routes that healthcare waste takes after use and examining the everyday systems that shape its management. Looking beyond the point of disposal, the piece reflects on how single-use medical materials move through hospital infrastructures, and what these movements reveal about care, responsibility and environmental impact.

A group of researchers group around a table to see a presentation of the screen infront of them.

Cleaning and Sterilising Hospital Textiles in the Early Twentieth Century

Presentations

Eloïse Richard presented ‘Behind the White Coat: Cleaning and Sterilizing Hospital Textiles in the Early 20th Century’ at the international conference ‘A History of Textile Cleanliness’, exploring the labour, infrastructure, and material practices that supported hospital care before the widespread turn to disposability.

A monochrome illustration of the Evelyn table of veins.

Talking Trash: The Rise of Throwaway Medical Culture

Presentations

Bruno Strasser presented ‘Talking Trash — The Rise of Throwaway Medical Culture in the Age of Plastics’ at the Leuven Centre for Health Humanities, exploring how single-use medical devices transformed hospital care in the second half of the twentieth century.

Outputs content

Toxic Asepsis: Chemical Sterilization and the Rise of Disposable Medical Devices in the 20th Century

Following Waste: Insights from CRCF’s Research at Fann Hospital, Senegal

Cleaning and Sterilising Hospital Textiles in the Early Twentieth Century

Talking Trash: The Rise of Throwaway Medical Culture