Lotions, potions, pills, and magic : health care in early America /

Deliciously titled, Lotions, Potions, Pills, and Magic is an extremely well-written introduction to American health care, formal and informal, from first settlements to the Civil War. Breslaw (ret., Morgan State Univ.) based the book on wide reading and study of mostly secondary sources; her 20-plus-page "Bibliographic Essay" is judicious in its range and reflective of classical medical historical literature and the latest in societal-based critical observations. The first chapter, "Columbian Exchange," is an especially insightful discussion about the effects of Old World diseases on the Native American population. In subsequent chapters, the author pays special attention to women's health issues and those pertaining to African Americans. Particularly disturbing is the passage detailing the work of Dr. J. Marion Sims (known as the "Father of Gynecology"), who operated on slave women and children; his experimentation can be compared to the work of Nazi physician Josef Mengele. Overall, the American health care scene explored is one compounded by knowledge, ignorance, luck, and suspicion of authority. As pioneering American medical historian Richard H. Shryock once noted, Americans believed they had "inalienable rights to life, liberty, and quackery." Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and general readers, all levels. I. Richman emeritus, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg Campus

Breslaw (history, adjunct, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville; Dr. Alexander Hamilton and Provincial America) records the history of illnesses, epidemics, and trends in American health care by both professional and folk practitioners prior to European settlement up to the mid-19th century. She skillfully synthesizes information from numerous scholarly works, covering native pandemics, Colonial illnesses and medical practice (professional, folk, and ethnic), nutrition, hygiene, military medical care, childbirth, mental health practices, and public health crises brought on by economic downturns and urbanization. The history is tied to the theme of how conventional doctors earned then lost respect and patronage because of their perceived wisdom and authority, their success or failure in treating or healing, and their disregard for scientific advances in medicine. Cultural, demographic, and economic factors also played important roles in the public's acceptance of trained physicians. Not until the end of the 19th century, when traditional medical professionals accepted prevailing scientific theories and standardized practices, did conventional medicine and medical practitioners regain the trust of the American public. VERDICT Breslaw's book is an important compilation of authoritative research, giving the subject a longer reach and shedding light on a little-known and not-so-pretty subject. This will interest general and medical history buffs and professional historians.-Margaret Kappanadze, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.