Sickness and Health in America: Readings in the History of Medicine and Public Health [Paperback]

Judith W. Leavitt (Editor), Ronald L. Numbers (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1997

An invaluable resource for students, scholars, and general readers, this highly regarded and widely used social history of medicine and public health in the United States is now available in a third edition. Extensively revised and updated, it includes twenty-one new essays; graphs illustrating the rise in deaths caused by HIV, homicide, and suicide; and a greatly expanded Guide to Further Reading. Entirely new sections on Sickness and Health, Early American Medicine, Therapeutics, the Art of Medicine, and Public Health and Personal Hygiene have been added, supplementing updated sections on the Science of Medicine, Education, the Allied Health Professions, Image and Income, Institutions, Race and Medicine, Epidemics, Public Health Reform, and Public Health and Medical Theory. An introductory essay and a series of historical photographs complement the articles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Teachers will find Sickness and Health in America well suited to their needs. It was designed as an introductory reader for basic courses in the history of American medicine and public health … and follows a coherent topical pattern.”—Todd L. Savitt, Clio Medica

 “Anyone interested in the medical history of the United States in the past two centuries will find these essays of great interest.”—The Lancet

“A major work.”—Norman Gevitz, Journal of the American Medical Association

About the Author

Judith Walzer Leavitt is professor of history of medicine, history of science, and women’s studies and the associate dean for faculty at the medical school, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her many books include The Healthiest City and Women and Health in America, both also available from the University of Wisconsin Press, and Typhoid Mary.  Ronald L. Numbers is William Coleman Professor of the History of Science and Medicine, University of Wisconsin–Madison. His many books include The Creationists, God and Nature, and Caring and Curing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 2 edition (April 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 029915324X
• ISBN-13: 978-0299153243
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #551,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Overview, January 21, 2001

By 

Courtney L. Lewis "Sassy Librarian" (Kingston, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sickness and Health in America: Readings in the History of Medicine and Public Health (Paperback)

Leavitt is wonderful historian and although the majority of her early work centered on women's health throughout US history, in "Sickness and Health in America" she once again proves her ability to ferret out wonderful historians who write well and on pertinent issues. Encompassing classic works like the work on the Tuskagee Syphilis experiment and early work on attitudes toward persons living with HIV/AIDS, Leavitt should be applauded once again for her tireless efforts toward public health history.