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Lotions, potions, pills, and magic : health care in early America / Elaine Breslaw.
Author
Breslaw, Elaine G., 1932-
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Format
Book
Language
English
Published/Created
New York : New York University Press, ©2012.
Description
xiv, 237 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Availability
Available Online
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JSTOR DDA
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Call Number
Status
Location Service
Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks
R152 .B725 2012
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Details
Subject(s)
Medicine
—
United States
—
History
—
18th century
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Medicine
—
United States
—
History
—
19th century
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Medical care
—
United States
—
History
—
18th century
[Browse]
Medical care
—
United States
—
History
—
19th century
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Physicians
—
United States
—
History
—
18th century
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Physicians
—
United States
—
History
—
19th century
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Public health
—
United States
—
History
—
18th century
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Public health
—
United States
—
History
—
19th century
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Medicine
—
History
[Browse]
Medicine
—
History
—
18th century
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United States
—
Social conditions
—
To 1865
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Homosaurus term(s)
Medical care
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Summary note
In the years following the American Revolution, as poverty increased and America's water and air became more polluted, people grew sicker. Traditional medicine became increasingly ineffective. Instead, Americans sought out both older and newer forms of alternative medicine and people who embraced these methods: midwives, folk healers, Native American shamans, African obeahs and the new botanical and water cure advocates. The author describes the evolution of public health crises and solutions, and argues that their ascendance over other healers didn't begin until germ theory finally migrated from Europe, and American medical education achieved professional standing. In addition to being a history of health in early America, it is a history of struggle, as natives and newcomers alike grappled with the obstacles imposed by biology, ecology, and fellow human beings. The author's position, supported by stories and anecdotes, calls for a frank reconsideration of the history of America, its health, and its doctors.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Columbian Exchange
Epidemics
Tools of the Trade
Abundance
Wartime
New Nation
Giving Birth
The Face of Madness
Democratic Medicine
Public Health
Epilogue.
Show 8 more Contents items
ISBN
9780814787175 ((cloth ; : alk. paper))
0814787177 ((cloth ; : alk. paper))
9780814787182 ((e-book))
0814787185 ((e-book))
9780814739389 ((e-book))
0814739385 ((e-book))
LCCN
2012016648
OCLC
768793108
Statement on language in description
Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage.
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Lotions, potions, pills, and magic : health care in early America / Elaine G. Breslaw.
id
9992710613506421
Lotions, potions, pills, and magic : health care in early America / Elaine G. Breslaw.
id
SCSB-8857315