The gospel of germs : men, women, and the microbe in American life
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The gospel of germs : men, women, and the microbe in American life
Harvard University Press, 1998
- : cloth
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-341) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The author reminds us that outbreaks of germs like AIDS and Ebola is nothing new, and that the first great "germ panic" in American history peaked in the early 1900s. Exploring the modern disease consciousness, Nancy Tomes shows how advances in bacteriology in the late 19th century showed people that they could prevent disease by taking precautions. Drawing upon sources like advice books, patent applications, advertisments, and oral histories, Tomes traces the awareness of the microbe as it radiated outward from middle-class homes into the world of American business and crossed the lines of class, gender, ethnicity, and race. The work offers a look into the history of a long-standing obsession with germs, its impact on 20th-century culture and society, and its relevance for our own lives.
Table of Contents
- Preface: memories of disease past. Introduction: the gospel of germs. Part 1 The gospel emergent, 1870-1890: apostles of the germ
- whited sepulchers
- entrepreneurs of the germ. Part 2 The gospel triumphant, 1890-1920: disciples of the laboratory
- tuberculosis religion
- the domestication of the germ. Part 3 antisepticonscious America
- the wages of dirt were death
- the two-edged sword. Part 4 The gospel in retreat: the waning of enthusiasm. Epilogue: the gospel of germs in the age of AIDS.
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