No Magic Bullet: A Social History of Venereal Disease in the United States Since 1880 PDF

Rating: (3 reviews) Author: Allan M. Brandt ISBN : 9780195042375 New from $9.31 Format: PDF

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From Victorian anxieties about syphilis to the current hysteria over herpes and AIDS, the history of venereal disease in America forces us to examine social attitudes as well as purely medical concerns. In No Magic Bullet, Allan M. Brandt recounts the various medical, military, and public health responses that have arisen over the years--a broad spectrum that ranges from the incarceration of prostitutes during World War I to the establishment of required premarital blood tests.

Brandt demonstrates that Americans' concerns about venereal disease have centered around a set of social and cultural values related to sexuality, gender, ethnicity, and class. At the heart of our efforts to combat these infections, he argues, has been the tendency to view venereal disease as both a punishment for sexual misconduct and an index of social decay. This tension between medical and moral approaches has significantly impeded efforts to develop "magic bullets"--drugs that would rid us of the disease--as well as effective policies for controlling the infections' spread.
In the paper edition of No Magic Bullet, Brandt adds to his perceptive commentary on the relationship between medical science and cultural values a new chapter on AIDS. Analyzing this latest outbreak in the context of our previous attitudes toward sexually transmitted diseases, he hopes to provide the insights needed to guide us to the policies that will best combat the disease.

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• Product Details
• Table of Contents
• Reviews

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Expanded edition (January 15, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195042379
• ISBN-13: 978-0195042375
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5.2 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

No Magic Bullet: A Social History of Venereal Disease in the United States Since 1880 PDF

An early and interesting book by Allan Brandt, the author of the fine "The Cigarette Century." This book focuses on American public health policies towards venereal disease, specifically syphilis and gonorrhea. Brandt covers the period from late 19th century to the 1950s. Brandt describes an interesting convergence of expanding scientific knowledge and power, reformism, and efforts at moral regulation. Brandt starts with Progressive era efforts at diminishing the impact of venereal disease. Fueled by the discoveries of late 19th century bacteriology and by fears of the social stresses accompanying industrialization-urbanization which cast venereal disease as a particular threat to middle class life and values, Progressive reformers embarked on a series of efforts that were an uneasy combination of pragmatic public health measures and moral regulation. These contradictions are a recurring theme of subsequent venereal disease control efforts.

Brandt shows WWI as a particularly important event in venereal disease control. Both pragmatic and moral concerns made venereal disease control a particularly important issue for the suddenly huge armed forces. The urgency of addressing venereal disease control heightened the internal contradictions of trying to pragmatically control venereal disease while maintaining traditional moral attitudes. These problems were initially encountered in WWI and re-emerged with a vengeance in WWII.

In the interwar period, venereal disease control again emerged as a reformist issue with New Deal oriented reformers pursuing more pragmatic efforts based on increased Federal involvement. These efforts, led by the famous Thomas Parran, were surprisingly successful.