Lotions, potions, pills, and magic : health care in early America / Elaine Breslaw.

Author
Breslaw, Elaine G., 1932- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
New York : New York University Press, ©2012.
Description
xiv, 237 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Availability

Available Online

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks R152 .B725 2012 Browse related items Request

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    Subject(s)
    Homosaurus term(s)
    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.
    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
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