This is a catalogue of the Edward C. Atwater collection of rare books dealing with 'popular medicine' in early American which is housed at the University of Rochester Medical School library. The books described in the catalogue were written by physicians and other professionals to provide information for the non-medical audience. The books taught human anatomy, hygiene, temperance and diet, how to maintain health, and how to cope with illness especially when no professional help was available. The books promoted a healthy lifestyle for the readers, giving guidance on everything from physical fitness and recreation to the special health needs of women. The collection consists of works dealing with reproduction (from birth control to delivering and caring for a baby), venereal disease, home-nursing, epidemics, and the need for public sex education. These books, covering areas largely ignored by the medical profession, made important contributions to the health of the American public, and the collection is a vital piece of medical history. The collector is Edward C. Atwater, professor emeritus of medicine and the history of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical School.Christopher Hoolihan is History of Medicine Librarian at the University of Rochester Medical School's Edward G. Miner Library.
Reviews
What makes the catalogue especially useful for historians of medicine are the extensive scholarly annotations. . . . Many annotations include quotations from the books and summaries of the contents. Translations and confusing edition numbers are clarified . . . and finally, the volumes are enlivened by nearly a hundred illustrations. . . . [The book] succeeds remarkably well in Hoolihan's intention "that it serve as a guide to the literature of American popular medicine and health reform generally." JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE 2006
Details
First Published: 01 May 2004
13 Digit ISBN: 9781580461016
Pages: 268
Size: 10 x 7
Binding: Hardback
Imprint: University of Rochester Press
Subject:
History of Science & MedicineBIC Class: MBX
Details updated on 31 Jul 2010
