The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 22: Science and Medicine

by James G. Thomas (Editor), Charles Reagan Wilson (Editor)

Overview

Science and medicine have been critical to southern history and the formation of southern culture. For three centuries, scientists in the South have documented the lush natural world around them and set a lasting tradition of inquiry. The medical history of the region, however, has been at times tragic. Disease, death, and generations of poor health have been the legacy of slavery, the plantation economy, rural life, and poorly planned cities. The essays in this volume explore this legacy as well as recent developments in technology, research, and medicine in the South.
Subjects include natural history, slave health, medicine in the Civil War, public health, eugenics, HIV/AIDS, environmental health, and the rise of research institutions and hospitals, to name but a few. With 38 thematic essays, 44 topical entries, and a comprehensive overview essay, this volume offers an authoritative reference to science and medicine in the American South.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807837436
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	11/26/2012
Series:	The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture , #22
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	302
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Charles Reagan Wilson is Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Chair in History and Professor of southern studies at the University of Mississippi. He is coeditor of the original Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.
James G. Thomas Jr. is associate director for publications at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. He is also managing editor of The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.
James G. Thomas Jr. is associate director for publications at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. He is also managing editor of The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Scholars, students, and the wider public will find the encyclopedia a thoughtful introduction and a source for deeper knowledge on the role of medicine and science in Southern life. Nuances, surprises, and critical ideas abound in this great read.—Susan M. Reverby, Wellesley College



An excellent, engrossing volume on the fascinating landscape of science and medicine in the American South. A judicious mix of broad topics and particular events and individuals, this well-edited text is scholarship of the first rank. It will be an essential guide for anyone seeking knowledge of science and medicine in this important region.—Steven M. Stowe, Indiana University, author of Doctoring the South: Southern Physicians and Everyday Medicine in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

Editorial Reviews

[A] multi-year, multi-dimensional, and unprecedented series.—Library Journal



The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture is terrific . . . It includes so much more material, with a lot of new scholars writing about topics scholars had not discussed before.—Southern Register



It contains much material that anyone posing as an authority on the culture of the South ought to know.—North Carolina Historical Review

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Elizabeth Connor, MLS, DM/AHIP(The Citadel)
Description: Part of the 24-volume New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, published by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and The University of North Carolina Press, this book is devoted to topics in science and medicine. The previous edition was released in 1989.
Purpose: The publishers describe this set as "the first reference book to deal exclusively with an American regional culture." This volume was researched and written by 78 contributors, predominantly from Southern educational institutions.
Audience: Libraries that collect encyclopedias and general works about Southern culture and history will be interested in acquiring this work. However, physicians, scientists, and other health professionals might expect more detail than this volume offers. For example, the 2-page entry on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study would be a good start for someone unfamiliar with the subject.
Features: This work is oddly organized, with nearly 180 pages devoted to "still unexplored" subjects such as alcohol and alcoholism, Civil War medicine, eugenics, faith healing, folk medicine, medical education, and racialized medicine, followed by another 80 pages, arranged alphabetically, covering persons, places, and diseases. Brief biographical essays explain the contributions of such notables as scientist George Washington Carver, cardiologist Michael DeBakey, physiologist Arthur C. Guyton, epidemiologist Walter Reed, physician J. Marion Sims, and others. Places covered include Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Research Triangle Park, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Savannah River Site, and other locations of interest. Disease entries range from to HIV/AIDS to hookworm to leprosy to pellagra to sickle cell anemia to yellow fever. This volume includes some black-and-white photographs, a few tables and charts, a 2-page contributor index, and a 19-page name/subject index.
Assessment: This work is unique in its scope of science and medicine and focus on regional history and culture.

Doody's Review Service