The Cholera Years: The United States in 1832, 1849, and 1866 (Paperback)

by Charles E. Rosenberg (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Cholera was the classic epidemic disease of the nineteenth century, as the plague had been for the fourteenth. Its defeat was a reflection not only of progress in medical knowledge but of enduring changes in American social thought. Rosenberg has focused his study on New York City, the most highly developed center of this new society. Carefully documented, full of descriptive detail, yet written with an urgent sense of the drama of the epidemic years, this narrative is as absorbing for general audiences as it is for the medical historian. In a new Afterword, Rosenberg discusses changes in historical method and concerns since the original publication of The Cholera Years.

"A major work of interpretation of medical and social thought . . . this volume is also to be commended for its skillful, absorbing presentation of the background and the effects of this dread disease."—I.B. Cohen, New York Times

"The Cholera Years is a masterful analysis of the moral and social interest attached to epidemic disease, providing generally applicable insights into how the connections between social change, changes in knowledge and changes in technical practice may be conceived."—Steven Shapin, Times Literary Supplement

"In a way that is all too rarely done, Rosenberg has skillfully interwoven medical, social, and intellectual history to show how medicine and society interacted and changed during the 19th century. The history of medicine here takes its rightful place in the tapestry of human history."—John B. Blake, Science

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Product Details Paperback: 276 pages Publisher: University of Chicago Press; 2nd edition (July 15, 1987) Language: English ISBN-10: 0226726770 ISBN-13: 978-0226726779 Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #251,802 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #24 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Administration & Medicine Economics > Public Health > Epidemiology #91 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Basic Sciences > Epidemiology

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover

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4 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 13 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A great medical history study, March 9, 2000 By  M. PARADISO-MICHAU (Columbus, OH (USA)) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Although it was read in conjunction with an urban history class, I found this book to be very engaging and moving. Rosenberg's writing flows easily through a very disturbing subject. He sets up very fluid parallels between the epidemic's appearance at all three major years: 1832, 1849, and 1866. Of special interest is the role of the NYC Metropolitan Board of Health in controlling and defeating the epidemic.. I hope I didn't ruin the ending for any interested readers: NYC is still a healthy city, despite outbreaks like the ones that Rosenberg identifies... 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Cholera amongst us today, April 19, 2006 By  Brian D. Rudert (APO, AA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Raising my children in Central America when the sixth world cholera pandemic reached the shores of this continent heightened my awareness as to existence of this mysterious disease. My children would bring home their cholera awareness materials from school that emphasized hand washing and clean water. Later on, I researched an incident in 1852 when Ulysses S. Grant and the U.S. 4th Infantry were devastated by cholera when passing through Panama on their way to California. However, it wasn?t until I read Rosenberg?s book that I understood how horrible a death from cholera was and yet how easy it is nowadays to treat. Rosenbery brings out so many interesting aspects of the impact of cholera on public health and the fact that the disease has only been known in the Western world for a little over 200 years. Most people think cholera is biblical. The book is an easy read for a layman and too bad it appears to be mostly used as a text book in college. 13 of 16 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic!, February 27, 2001 By  "bumbiebea" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews This book is truely a classic work of history. Although I also read it for a class (Medicine and Society in America), I recommend it to anyone with an interest in medicine, public health, religion, and general social history. In three parallel sections, the book relates the details of the 1832, 1849, and 1866 cholera epidemics. This structure results in some repetition but is needed to fully seen the connections/changes over time. It is extensively footnoted (I recommend you read these too - very interesting) and has a large bibliography... without seeming "overly academic." ENJOY.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars THE UNITED STATES IN 1832, 1849, AND 1866 RECEIVED IN TIME AND IN GOOD CONDITION Published on September 25, 2005 by Arleen Brinkmoeller Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press; 2nd edition (July 15, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226726770
• ISBN-13: 978-0226726779
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #251,802 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #24 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Administration & Medicine Economics > Public Health > Epidemiology
  #91 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Basic Sciences > Epidemiology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great medical history study, March 9, 2000

By	M. PARADISO-MICHAU (Columbus, OH (USA)) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although it was read in conjunction with an urban history class, I found this book to be very engaging and moving. Rosenberg's writing flows easily through a very disturbing subject. He sets up very fluid parallels between the epidemic's appearance at all three major years: 1832, 1849, and 1866. Of special interest is the role of the NYC Metropolitan Board of Health in controlling and defeating the epidemic.. I hope I didn't ruin the ending for any interested readers: NYC is still a healthy city, despite outbreaks like the ones that Rosenberg identifies...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cholera amongst us today, April 19, 2006

By	Brian D. Rudert (APO, AA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Raising my children in Central America when the sixth world cholera pandemic reached the shores of this continent heightened my awareness as to existence of this mysterious disease. My children would bring home their cholera awareness materials from school that emphasized hand washing and clean water. Later on, I researched an incident in 1852 when Ulysses S. Grant and the U.S. 4th Infantry were devastated by cholera when passing through Panama on their way to California. However, it wasn?t until I read Rosenberg?s book that I understood how horrible a death from cholera was and yet how easy it is nowadays to treat. Rosenbery brings out so many interesting aspects of the impact of cholera on public health and the fact that the disease has only been known in the Western world for a little over 200 years. Most people think cholera is biblical. The book is an easy read for a layman and too bad it appears to be mostly used as a text book in college.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic!, February 27, 2001

By	"bumbiebea" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is truely a classic work of history. Although I also read it for a class (Medicine and Society in America), I recommend it to anyone with an interest in medicine, public health, religion, and general social history. In three parallel sections, the book relates the details of the 1832, 1849, and 1866 cholera epidemics. This structure results in some repetition but is needed to fully seen the connections/changes over time. It is extensively footnoted (I recommend you read these too - very interesting) and has a large bibliography... without seeming "overly academic." ENJOY.