Things That Don’t Talk Much and Things That Feel

Abstract

Abstract This essay explores whether and how objects that seem pedestrian and anonymous can be made fruitful for material culture study. Using the example of late 20th-century blood glucose monitors for diabetes, it assesses the potential and limitations of common approaches to the study of material objects, when the object itself is unremarkable. It then turns to object- and experiment-oriented work in the history of science and seeks to integrate the concepts of tacit and embodied knowledge to formulate an approach to medical objects based on bodies and practices. Comparisons between monitors show how changes in their material configuration affected these practices and, by extension, changed the relationship between user and object. Finally, it looks to studies on the objects and practices of medicine and healthcare at the intersection of bodies and emotions and asks what insights they can provide for the study of modern medical devises.