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Dread Disease : Cancer and Modern American Culture by James T. Patterson (1989, Trade Paperback)
ThriftBooks (3900981)
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherHarvard University Press
ISBN-100674216261
ISBN-139780674216266
eBay Product ID (ePID)696027
Product Key Features
Number of Pages374 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication NameDread Disease : Cancer and Modern American Culture
Publication Year1989
SubjectDiseases / Cancer, Sociology / General
TypeTextbook
Subject AreaSocial Science, Health & Fitness
AuthorJames T. Patterson
FormatTrade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height0.1 in
Item Weight13 Oz
Item Length0.9 in
Item Width0.6 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional
LCCN87-000160
Dewey Edition19
Reviews[Cancer] has a special place in our medical history and social imagination. Patterson's impressive achievement is to unearth that history, to bring out its cultural roots and manifestations, and to show why cancer was, and still remains, 'the dread disease.' It is a story worth knowing... and one well and richly told here.
IllustratedYes
Dewey Decimal362.1/96994/00973
SynopsisCancer is that "loathsome beast, which seized upon the breast, drove its long claws into the surrounding tissues, derived its sustenance by sucking out the juices of its victims, and never even relaxed its hold in death," a turn-of-the-century physician recorded. Even today cancer affects the popular imagination with dread. In a subtle and penetrating cultural history, James Patterson examines reactions to the disease through a century of American life. The modern American preoccupation with cancer was apparent during the widely publicized illness and death from that ailment of Ulysses S. Grant in 1885. Awareness of the disease soon figured heavily in the public consciousness, and individual reactions to it continue to reveal broader tensions within American society. Patterson examines responses to cancer by researchers and physicians, quacks and faith healers, by the multitude who have heard sensational media reports of "cures," as well as by many who have had firsthand experiences with the disease. Optimistic attitudes of many experts contrast sharply with the skepticism of large segments of the population--often the less wealthy and the less educated--that reject the claims of medical science and resist the advice or, some argue, the paternalistic dictates of the government-supported cancer research establishment. Expanding expectations of a cure from a confident medical profession; the rise of a government-supported Cancer Establishment managing a large research empire; the emergence of a "cancer counterculture"; a new emphasis on prevention through control of the environment and the self; and the private fears and pessimism of millions of Americans form a telling history of American social patterns. Whether the issue is smoking, pollution, or regular checkups, attitudes toward cancer reflect more general views on medicine, public policy, and illness, as well as on death and dying. This century has witnessed both a biomedical revolution and a vastly increased role of the state in the private lives of citizens; but not everyone has bought the medical package, and many have little faith in government intervention. Readers interested in the cultural dimensions of science and medicine as well as historians, sociologists, and political scientists will be enlightened and challenged by The Dread Disease ., In a subtle and penetrating cultural history, Patterson examines reactions to the disease through a century of American life. Readers interested in the cultural dimensions of science and medicine as well as historians, sociologists, and political scientists will be enlightened and challenged by this book.
LC Classification NumberRA645.C3
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