McDowell, Andrew. Breathless: tuberculosis, inequality, and care in rural India. 272 pp. , bibliogr. Stanford: University Press, 2023. 28. 00 (paper)

Key Points

• The aim is to examine how tuberculosis is entwined with social inequalities in rural India, particularly among marginalized communities.
• Conducted long-term ethnographic fieldwork in Ambawati, a village in southeast Rajasthan.
• Analyzed the life experiences of Dalit and Rawat Meghwal Salvi-caste Adivasi farmers.
• Explored the concept of ‘atmospheric entanglements’ and its implications for understanding TB.
• Identified multiple atmospheric constituents affecting TB, such as breath, dust, and air.
• Revealed that TB is influenced by social dynamics, including caste and poverty.
• Showed that traditional and local understandings of health intersect with Western medical practices.