Customer Reviews:
Tuskegee Experiment & Crack Epidemic.......2005-12-27
Bad Blood points out that the US Surgeon General at the time was Hugh Smith Cumming. In 1939 he was responsible more than any other person for creating the system we now have in place that controls narcotics and other banned substances which San Jose Mercury News journalist and Pulitizer Prize Winner, Gary Webb, said was controlled by a handful of power elites through the CIA.
Fearing a race war when Webb's information was exposed, Bill Clinton, who apolgized for the Tuskegee Experiment, also sent CIA Director John Deutsch to LA to quell a groundswell of complaints among blacks who feared (rigtly) that their goverment was poisoning inner city youth with drugs.
Hugh Smith Cumming's close kin married Chase Untermeyer, the US Navy Officer who became the Texas State Representative from the exclusive Tanglewood area of Houston where GHWB had his disputed Texas address while in office. Untermeyer's bride is from the Hugh Smith Cumming family and was on the staff of GHWB's legal counsel. Untermeyer is now Ambassador to Qatar.
Webb's work shined a light on the Reagan/Bush backed CIA Iran-Contra drug distribution in the US. Webb's book DARK ALLIANCE, when combined with BAD BLOOD shows how close we have come to a Fascist State.
Remember that next time CNN, FOX or the rest report on the White House's interest in bugging your telephones.
Corpus Christi, TX
African-American Victims Of Government Laboratory Experiments!!!.......2005-09-16
One of the least known facts of U.S. history is the government sponsored syphilis experiment conducted upon 399 African-American men from 1932 to 1972. Over the course of these five decades, the U.S. Public Health Service exploited African-American sharecroppers in its effort to determine if the long-term affects of syphilis were different for black people than it was for white people. During the trials, the doctors who conducted the experimentations intentionally denied these men treatment; never informed them of syphilis' destructiveness to their health; and ignored the fact that these men were infecting their respective wives and sexual partners with the disease. As the experiments continued, doctors calculatedly deceived the subjects, informing them that they were suffering from what was categorized as: "bad blood". As the disease ravaged the minds and bodies of these unsuspecting men, no effort was made by the physicians of the Public Health Service to either inform them regarding the disease or provide them with treatment in an effort to curtail its devastating effects.
Jones presents a detailed, non-sensationalized writing that delves into the ignorance, racism and outright inhumanity that was entrenched throughout the United States; the medical arena; and society in general prior to and during these horrific experiments. He provides a plethora of documentation to substantiate the bigotry and callousness of the medical field during the era, and acknowledges the data provided by individuals who participated in the experiments or who conveyed valuable information. By the end of the experimentation, at least 28 of the men had died of syphilis; over 100 died of related complications; at least 40 of their wives had been infected, and over 20 of their children had been born with congenital syphilis.
Bad Blood should be read by all those who are of the opinion that the upper echelons of U.S. society (in this case, the medial profession and the government itself) are above despicable acts that border on genocide. Clearly there is no conspiracy "theory" here...instead we find conspiracy FACT! Perhaps former U.S. President Bill Clinton's statement regarding the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments encapsulates the incident best in his speech to the last eight survivors of the experiments in 1997: "The United States government did something that was wrong-deeply, profoundly, morally wrong. It was an outrage to our commitment to integrity and equality for all our citizens...clearly racist".
Something In This Milk Ain't "White" Blues.......2005-05-28
During the 40 years of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, the school had threee usa negroid ethnic presidents...
Dr. Robert R. Moton
Dr. Frederick D. Patterson
Dr. Luther H. Foster
Interesting, also is the little mentioned fact that more than 200 USA Negroid ethnic medical students and 600 USA Negroid ethnic nursing students did clinic rounds within the Syphilis Study...
Why did not one of these "professional and educated" Negroes sound the alarm that something was ethical wrong about what was being done to those 200 or so "sexually diseased "poor country" negroes"?
This story is less to do with so-called "white racism" but rather humankind's condition since it "climbed out or fall out" of the trees of that "misty and forever lost" Eden...
Which is the reality that...
Educated, powerful, "cold and greedy" human beings (dark pale or otherwise) will always screw "illiterate, materally poor and mentally weak" human beings - when the "High/Holy with little moral character" feel that they can get away with it.
Blues at you
or, How racism permeates..........2004-03-21
I am not a doctor, a researcher nor an ethicist. I am an African American woman who grew up in southern Virginia, has heard off-the-cuff references to the Tuskegee incident almost all of my conscious-life, and finally wanted to read its details. While I agree with one reviewer who pointed out that the text does not read like a "thriller," I found the writing easy to understand as an indictment of racism whether systemically or individually manifest. I appreciate that the author took great care to provide a general framework of how people respond to the medical establishment (e.g. "follow the doctor's orders") while also detailing the way by which the doctors deliberately manipulated that trust to ensure the compliance of rural black men and black members of the profession. The latter is important - the author shows compliance and allegiance among the black medical officials who were pulled into the experiment, subtly encouraged by monetary or status rewards. I also like how the author painstakingly pulled together the text of meetings, memos and memoirs to show how bureaucracy, tradition and group think work to create racist outcomes - it suggested a universality to it, not a "only in the medical establishment" or "only in the South" version of events. And the author's telling of how all the institutions and individuals, when caught, backpedaled or otherwise covered up their role in the experiment was just amazing... Highly recommended.
A Shocking Medical Experiment in the American South.......2003-05-04
This book was excellent and informative. However, readers should know that it is written in a research style, almost like a text book (sometimes putting the reader to sleep-and the reason I am only rating it four stars), as opposed to being written by an investigative reporter (and reading like a thriller). The book is extremely well documented. The author was intimately involved with helping lawyer Gray (Rosa Parks' lawyer) prosecute the case against the federal government, by providing much of the documentation given in this book. He began work on the book while a student in Harvard's bioethics program in 1972, and only subsequently becoming involved with lawyer Gray.
The book is a complete history from the conception of the experiment, until its termination, including the viewpoints of ALL participants. In addition to learning about the experiment itself, I learned a lot about life in the rural American South, which I had not previously known, and a lot about the disease of syphilis that I hadn't known. Some examples: I didn't know that 30-40 percent of blacks in the rural South were infected, nor that the disease crosses the placental barrier, which caused a lot of syphilitic babies. The book includes pictures of syphilitic skin lesions, and discusses multiple complications of the late stages of the disease.
The book also delves into the moral and racial issues extensively. There is an updated chapter at the end comparing the syphilis crisis to the AIDS crisis, and discusses why so many blacks are distrustful of doctors and hospitals-this experiment simply being one of the most recent examples of how this segment of our society as lied to, and taken advantage of.
What was MOST shocking to me about this book was that I was born in 1955, and this experiment continued into the mid-1970's. The FIRST time it was questioned on moral grounds was about 1962, and throughout the 60's, most doctors did not even QUESTION the morality! The story was broken the same day as Sargent Shiver's having obtained psychiatric counseling-the latter story I heard about extensively, and the former not at all! Before buying this book, I had never even heard of this medical experiment, and I just can't believe things like this were taking place IN
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA until the mid-1970's!!!
Book Description
This brilliant work of social history reveals the hidden impact of syphilis on many of history's famous figures--from Wilde to Hitler to Abraham Lincoln--and its influence on the culture they created.
Was Beethoven experiencing syphilitic euphoria when he composed "Ode to Joy"? Did van Gogh paint "Crows Over the Wheatfield" in a fit of diseased madness right before he shot himself?
Was syphilis a stowaway on Columbus's return voyage to Europe? The answers to these provocative questions are likely "yes," claims Deborah Hayden in this riveting investigation of the effects of the "Pox" on the lives and works of world figures from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries. Writing with remarkable insight and narrative flair, Hayden argues that biographers and historians have vastly underestimated the influence of what Thomas Mann called "this exhilarating yet wasting disease." Shrouded in secrecy, syphilis was accompanied by wild euphoria and suicidal depression, megalomania and paranoia, profoundly affecting sufferers' worldview, their sexual behavior and personality, and, of course, their art. Deeply informed and courageously argued, Pox has already been heralded as a major contribution to our understanding of genius, madness, and creativity.
Customer Reviews:
Oh Please!!!.......2007-06-04
I completely agree with the reader who reviewed this book on January 30, 2003. The conclusions suggested in this book are silly and irresponsible. It is written by someone who is obviously not a health care professional. She also has little understanding of the nature of creation of great artistic works. This book is little more than bringing a tabloid home from the grocery store. Can she really think that such superb artistic accomplishment is the result of syphilis? If this is true, considering the infection rates of previous generations, we should have had myriads more artistic geniuses running around. If you are inclined to take this book seriously in any way, please do some additional study. I would suggest starting with a wonderful book on musical genius, "The Possessor and the Possessed" by Peter Kivy. This academic book addresses the musical genius of Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven seriously and is part of the Yale series on the philosophy and theory of art. I am sure as time passes, Deborah Hayden's book will be dismissed as the worst of journalism.
Let us look at Beethoven for instance. Beethoven was a child prodigy and gave his first piano concert in his eight year. His talent for improvisation was recognized very early. One of Beethoven's early teachers refused to teach Beethoven very long because he said the youngster already knew everything he was trying to teach him. Mozart, after listening to a young Beethoven on the piano, said to others in the room, "Watch that boy. Someday he will give the world something to talk about." Goethe, the famous German poet and dramatist, said after meeting Beethoven many years later, "Never have I met an artist of such spiritual concentration and intensity."
Please, fellow readers, be discerning in what you read and what you take from it. I have read approximately 35 books on Beethoven, including biographies written by Beethoven scholars past and present and not one has ever alluded to something as absurd as the ideas put forth by Ms. Hayden. Never believe something simply because it in print. Question, research, and find the truth. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to listen to some of Beethoven's sonatas and symphonies and hear actual manifestations of genius while you are at it.
POX:Genius, Madness and the Mysteries of Syphilis.......2006-12-03
An incredible read of a disease that may affect so many of our lives today from infected parents and grandparents. The authors research and insights are revealing and insightful. I have found syphilis in my family doing genealogy research and Deborah Haydon has helped illunminate my family history and will be highlighted in my new book Lotties Lot. Nancy O'Connor PhD
Well Written Study About Syphilis History and its Effect on Great Historical Personalities.......2006-03-01
This book is well written and guides the reader through a detailed investigation about the possible effects of Syphilis on great historical personalities like Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Baudelaire, Abraham Lincoln, Flaubert Maupassant van Gogh, Nietzsche, Oscar Wilde, Karen Blixen, James Joyce, and Adolf Hitler. Many of these historical giants were burdened by toxic medicines that ultimately lead to insanity and death.
Repetitious But Interesting.......2005-07-28
Until the mid-twentieth century, when it was shown that penicillin was an effective treatment, syphilis was one of the most common diseases in Europe and North America. Though the point is still debated, it seems likely that syphilis was the one epidemic Native Americans were able to give to their conquerors in the face of smallpox, measles and the rest that devastated their populations. Unlike the European diseases, however, which were quickly and disproportionately deadly, syphilis, after its sudden and sweeping introduction, quickly mutated into a chronic illness. Though ultimately fatal in some cases, syphilis often allowed carriers to live for many decades after the initial infection, slowly tearing the body apart. It is the story of this disease that has become largely ignored in modern scholarship that Ms. Hayden tells in Pox.
There is much of interest in this book, particularly in the first section. Here, Ms. Hayden recounts what is known of the introduction of syphilis into Europe, including a lively discussion indicating that Columbus himself may have been among the first syphilitics. Even more interesting is her description of the disease itself from the signs of initial infection to the often gradual, extensive and painful deterioration that accompanies the progress of the disease ending in madness and death. She notes that there are two key problems in an analysis of syphilis: the fact that syphilis is "the great imitator" (meaning that its extensive symptoms are often easily mistaken for other diseases, especially as these symptoms may occur decades after the initial infection) and the fact that patients admitting to syphilis was rare because of the social stigma attached. So understanding the full impact of syphilis on Western culture is problematic. And here is where the book becomes less compelling.
The last two sections of the book take us through the biographies of some important syphilitics like the Lincolns (Abraham & Mary Todd), Oscar Wilde, Nietzsche, Beethoven and van Gogh. If they are syphilitics. In many cases it's not known for sure though Ms. Hayden attempts to make the case. And, proved or not, she attempts to show how syphilis--if that's what it was--would have had important impact on their lives and work. Her most extensive and controversial case surrounds that of Adolf Hitler as having been infected as a young man (possibly by a Jewish prostitute) and how the last years of World War II saw his deterioration.
The problems with these biographies are two-fold. First, is the simple matter of the difficulty in writing something interesting about each person. These biographies are extraordinarily repetitious: infection and illness, latency and then steadily worsening heath problems as the spirochetes take over. Second, they are filled with so much speculation. Even in the rare case where syphilis is a known infection, as Ms. Hayden admits, there is no guarantee that the following health problems are syphilitic in nature. They might be. All of this speculation begins to make the reader wonder if this is all fact or fiction.
Still, Ms. Hayden often makes a compelling if not entirely convincing case. Certainly, she makes the case that it is a subject that deserves more interest, especially from biographers of these various subjects. There is no doubt that illness can have a great impact on a person's life, art and politics and Ms. Hayden deserves credit for bringing this important disease back to light.
genuinely interesting and well-researched, if unfocused.......2004-07-14
PERSPECTIVE: physician with interest in infectious diseases
Ms. Hayden's thesis here is an interesting one - not only did syphilis afflict many well-known historical figures, but its late-stage effects on the mind (as she terms it, "syphilitic euphoria") contributed to the creative zenith of authors and aritists, as well as shaping the lives and deeds of the powerful and influential. The first section of the book deals with the historical origins (and controversies) surrounding the origins of syphilis outbreaks in the late 1400's, as well as a reasonably adequate lay description of the disease. The main section deals with several figures from the 19th and 20th century, including well-known composers, philosophers, authors, artists, and political figures, none of whom have been confirmed to have syphilis, but suspected of such to greater or lesser degrees. In each case, she makes an argument for their infection and its effect on their lives and work, based on available historical documents, medical records, etc... The final sections include brief paragraphs discussing confirmed famous syphilitics, a list of general clues the author used in analyzing each case, and a reproduction of a 1926 case study on a patient.
Overall, the novel is flows well, and is easy and entertaining to read. Ms. Hayden's research is extensive and well-documented, and while she is not formally medically trained, she has certainly pored over medical texts from previous centuries up to today in order to educate herself and her readers.
Despite this, there are several issues of note. The "syphilitic euphoria" as a genesis for works of genius, medically, seems a bit of a strech in both its existance (as she characterizes it) and influence. It seems as though she loses her focus at some point - while earlier chapters, such as those on Schubert and Nietzsche, seem goal-oriented towards proving the presence of the infection, and its role in their work, other chapters (Lincoln and Hitler, notably) seem more like meandering discussions that, while interesting, ultimately come to no real conclusion as to the role of the disease. Additionally, while she seems convinced herself that each subject indeed had syphilis, and she works to makes a good case for each, some of her leaps of fact and logic seem a bit long. Ms. Hayden does occasionally make factual medical errors when discussing certain symptoms and their associations. Along those lines, she seems much more comfortable discussing such facts in the less precise medical terminology of "days gone by" than in present-day terms - this may be rooted in both her supposition that modern physicians know nothing of true end-stage syphilis (because we've been able to treat the infection early, successfully, with antibiotics for many decades, although how she can read the same old syphilis texts that physicians can, and be better than them at its diagnosis is a bit of a mystery to me) and that less-specific terminology allows her to make her cases better. The last sections also strike me as "fluff," of mild interest only.
FINAL WORD: The above quibbles aside, there is a lot to enjoy here, especially given Ms. Hayden's excellent historical research and entertaining writing style. A worthwhile read, but keep in mind that a lot of the author's conjectures are just that - conjectures. Buy it, check it out from the library, or buy it and donate it to your local library.
Book Description
The Tuskegee Study is one of the most infamous medical studies ever conducted. From 1932 to 1972, the federal government studied the long-term effects of syphilis on 399 men. The study has been condemned because the black men were never treated for the disease and were never told the true nature of their illness.
Book Description
In 1932, the U.S. Public Health
Service recruited 623 African
American men from Macon County, Alabama, for a study of "the effects of untreated syphilis in the Negro male." For the next 40 years—even after the development of penicillin, the cure for syphilis—these men were denied medical care for this potentially fatal disease. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was exposed in 1972, and in 1975 the government settled a lawsuit but stopped short of admitting wrongdoing. In 1997, President Bill Clinton welcomed five of the Study survivors to the White House and, on behalf of the nation, officially apologized for an experiment he described as wrongful and racist. In this book, the attorney for the men describes the background of the Study, the investigation and the lawsuit, the events leading up to the Presidential apology, and the ongoing efforts to see that out of this painful and tragic episode of American history comes lasting good.
Book Description
Between 1932 and 1972, approximately six hundred African American men in Alabama served as unwitting guinea pigs in what is now considered one of the worst examples of arrogance, racism, and duplicity in American medical research—the Tuskegee syphilis study. Told they were being treated for "bad blood," the nearly four hundred men with late-stage syphilis and two hundred disease-free men who served as controls were kept away from appropriate treatment and plied instead with placebos, nursing visits, and the promise of decent burials. Despite the publication of more than a dozen reports in respected medical and public health journals, the study continued for forty years, until extensive media coverage finally brought the experiment to wider public knowledge and forced its end.
This edited volume gathers articles, contemporary newspaper accounts, selections from reports and letters, reconsiderations of the study by many of its principal actors, and works of fiction, drama, and poetry to tell the Tuskegee story as never before. Together, these pieces illuminate the ethical issues at play from a remarkable breadth of perspectives and offer an unparalleled look at how the study has been understood over time.
Book Description
Originally published in German in 1935, this monograph anticipated solutions to problems of scientific progress, the truth of scientific fact and the role of error in science now associated with the work of Thomas Kuhn and others. Arguing that every scientific concept and theory—including his own—is culturally conditioned, Fleck was appreciably ahead of his time. And as Kuhn observes in his foreword, "Though much has occurred since its publication, it remains a brilliant and largely unexploited resource."
"To many scientists just as to many historians and philosophers of science facts are things that simply are the case: they are discovered through properly passive observation of natural reality. To such views Fleck replies that facts are invented, not discovered. Moreover, the appearance of scientific facts as discovered things is itself a social construction, a made thing. A work of transparent brilliance, one of the most significant contributions toward a thoroughly sociological account of scientific knowledge."—Steven Shapin, Science
Customer Reviews:
why science isn't so scientific.......2007-01-10
A long-lost, terrific insight - from a respected scientist no less - of the ways in which so-called "objective" science really works. Which, I have to point out, doesn't make it any less effective. This is a great way to explore the inner workings of laboratories, science journals, and the worlds of research and academia. Warning: the language is a bit puffed up and can be hard to slog through at times. The guy WAS a scientist, after all, and it was translated from the German.
A Truly Original, Thought-Changing Work.......2006-04-13
I first read Genesis & Development of A Scientific Fact while I was a graduate student at New York University. While the work was admittedly a challenging one, it was, without doubt, one of the most truly original, thought-changing works I've ever read. Fleck was, in my opinion, a true visionary who forwarded an extremely provactive thesis about the origin of scientific "facts." Fleck's monograph is high on my short list of "must read" intellectual works. Other similar works worth reading include: Julian Jaynes, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, and Giambattista Vico, The New Science.
Scientific facts: constructed, not discovered?.......1999-02-14
If you thought scientific knowledge was clear, objective, and unbiased, but fortunately became enlightened by your readings of Kuhn, think again!! Rediscovered by Kuhn himself, Fleck exposes in a brief, very-well illustrated monogrpah, how facts -such as the apparently objective Wassermann reaction for syphilis- are constructed, not passively discovered. From medieval magic to modern medicine, the concept of syphilis has been transformed. I urge you to read Fleck's work and evaluate for yourself why he anticipated his time. Enjoy!
A truly original and groundbreaking work--mandatory reading........1998-05-12
I first encountered Fleck's work while I was a doctoral student at NYU. The clarity and orginality of his thoughts completely captivated me. This work is truly one which has changed my life and my way of thinking. Fleck was indeed a pioneer and prophet--I continually re-read "Genesis & Development of A Scientific Fact," each time gaining greater insight and appreciation for its depth and scope. Fleck's monograph is truly an original and groundbreaking tour de force--mandatory reading from a true (but sadly overlooked) genious.
Average customer rating:
- Every woman loves a rake ..... very entertaining read
|
The Satyr: An Account of the Life and Work of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester
Cephas Goldsworthy
Manufacturer: Orion Books Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| Classics
| Contemporary
| General
| Historical
| Humor
| Letters & Correspondence
| Middle
| Old
| Poetry
| Renaissance
| Shakespeare
| Short Stories
General
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Communicable Diseases
| Infectious Disease
| Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Communicable Diseases
| Infectious Disease
| Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0297643193 |
Book Description
This is a biography of the most sexually explicit—and most strikingly modern—major poet of the 17th century. In the short 33 years of his life, Rochester loved both sexes wildly and indiscriminately, was confined to the tower for kidnapping an heiress, was released to fight a war against the Dutch, married and fathered children with his wife and his mistress, was banished repeatedly from Court for a multitude of misdemeanours, suffered the agonies of thrice being ‘cured’ of syphilis, and then returned in 1680, on his death bed, to the Protestant church.
Customer Reviews:
Every woman loves a rake ..... very entertaining read.......2007-08-09
Many years ago, when very young and inexperienced of life, love and emotion, I read Graham Greene's "Lord Rochester's Monkey" and frankly, did not really grasp all that John Wilmot's life reflected. It was, therefore, a real treat to revisit his life and times in Cephas Goldworthy's book. I agree with the Sunday Times's reviewer, Lisa Jardine, who felt that this was not the scholarly effort using as much of the available information that John Wilmot's life deserved. Indeed, without footnotes and a clearer outline of the sources used, the book is less than satisfying in scholarly terms. However, the author's clear and lively style makes it a truly entertaining read which has inspired me to once again do some reading about the Restoration period. There are, unfortunately, no illustrations whatsoever in this book; thank goodness I still have my Graham Greene book because it was lusciously illustrated.
I think that the author probably secretly disapproved of Rochester; I also think he looked as his personal qualities and way of life from a masculine perception to the point that he admits he cannot really understand Rochester's appeal to women.
I can only say that as with great historical characters like Byron or Brummell, there is just simply something of the "damn your eyes Rake" about Rochester that I felt, as his female contemporaries clearly did, the unremitting pull of attraction. Rochester's greatest appeal has to be that he truly liked people even when mocking and satirising them. Life, it would appear, was to Rochester a huge bowl of delights to be sampled, played with, admired and mocked. A real love and lust for life such as his cannot fail to arouse strong feelings. Even the disputed and protracted deathbed repentance has its charm; one can't help but think he deserved more sympathy and tenderness from his mother in particular, as he faced death with true courage in the face of a pitiless disease which ended his life far too soon.
As an aside, one learns a great deal about the treatment of syphilis in those long ago days - a real eye-opener for me!
Perhaps someone will write a more definitive biography someday; I shall look forward to reading more with anticipation. In the meantime, I live not far from Rochester's birthplace so I will be having a little look at the property one sunny weekend.
Customer Reviews:
Inappropriate.......2007-05-02
The other review of this book posted here should be removed, as it's not actually a review of Andreski's book at all, and doesn't even discuss any of his arguments. If removed, this post should be removed as well. The reviewer gives Andreski's book one star because of a few comments made about AIDS in the book's Appendix? If one reads the offensive quote carefully one finds that all Andreski is in fact stating, in his own unique style, is that there is a positive correlation between promiscuity and risk of catching an STD. Big whoop. Anyone who denies this is a fool. This comment, and all AIDS-related comments, actually have little to do with Andreski's book, which is actually about how widespread syphilis helped shape cultural practices and religious beliefs regarding sex.
stanislav andreski never answered my letter.......1997-10-14
I've just got hold of a copy of Stanislav Andreski's "Syphilis, Puritanism and Witchunts". It's been many years since I read it and I thought perhaps my indignation at my first reading was simply a youthfully misguided reading of the text. But I think the following quote makes it pretty unequivocally clear what Andreski's position on people living with AIDS is... from p. 156 "among the carriers of AIDS there is likely to be a disproportionate number of alienated individuals, because the risk increases with the preference for promiscuity which is connected with cold self-centred sensuality or loveless vanity." And there are many more where that came from. It looks and sounds like a scholarly text if all you have is the bibliographic details, but reading it you discover it is actually simply a moralistic diatribe. If you hate moral stereotyping, avoid this book like the plague (apologies for the pun)!!!! Oh yeah, and he never answered my letter...
Book Description
From its appearance in Europe at the end of the fifteenth century until its cure with the discovery of penicillin, syphilis has inspired wildly varying--and culturally revealing--theories about its origin, nature, and treatment. In The History of Syphilis, Claude Quétel chronicles five centuries of medical detective work and official management of a virulent disease that quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Quétel's study is a reminder that modern medical science grew not only from inspired genius but also from desperate speculation. Drawing parallels with the current medical and social campaigns against AIDS, Quétel notes that the history of syphilis has a surprisingly contemporary resonance.
"Quétel argues that the war against syphilis was never mainly between science and disease. From the very beginning, it was waged between those who sought to preserve syphilis as a scourge on sinners and those who sought its cure."--Wilson Quarterly
"In its relation to sex and sin, Quétel demonstrates, syphilis was perhaps the archetypical social disease. The strength of this history is that the author portrays physicians and public officials in a broad social context as they tried to counter popular views of syphilis as being shameful and frightening... Demonstrates that our present concern with AIDS has not shifted this debate significantly."--Journal of the History of Sexuality
"This book is two books in one. It traces the history of the medical conceptualizations of syphilis and the attendant therapies for the disease from its first appearance in Europe during the 1490s until the present. But it also charts the cultural representations of syphilis over a period of five hundred years. Contemporary French scholars excel in the study of this aspect of medical history, and Claude Quétel is clearly among the finest."--Historian
Average customer rating:
|
Chicago's War on Syphilis, 1937-40: The Times, the "Trib," and the Clap Doctor
Suzanne Poirier
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Illinois
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Social Services & Welfare
| Poverty
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
History of Science
| History & Philosophy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Health Care Delivery
| Administration & Policy
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Public Health
| Administration & Policy
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Special Topics
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Health Care Delivery
| Administration & Medicine Economics
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Public Health
| Administration & Medicine Economics
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0252021479 |
Books:
- Beneath the United States: A History of U.S. Policy toward Latin America
- Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History
- Caleb's Story (Sarah, Plain and Tall)
- CPT 2007 Professional Edition (Cpt / Current Procedural Terminology (Professional Edition))
- Critique of Pure Reason
- Deconstructing Jesus
- Einstein: His Life and Universe
- Encyclopedia of the Holocaust
- Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation in the '80's
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Cricket in Times Square
- Lovell and Winter's Pediatric Orthopaedics
- A Portfolio of Fireplace Ideas
- Bob Kleberg and the King Ranch: A Worldwide Sea of Grass
- Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
- History: Fiction or Science
- In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
- Best Practice in Inventory Management, Second Edition
- Creating a New Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home
- Plant-Parasitic Nematodes: A Pictorial Key to Genera
Acres of Skin: Human Experiments at Holmesburg Prison
Pharmacy Practice and the Law, Fourth Edition (Pharmacy Practice & the Law)
Tuskegee's Truths: Rethinking the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (STUDIES IN SOCIAL MEDICINE)
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: The Real Story and Beyond
Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present
