No Magic Bullet A Social History of Venereal Disease in the United States since 1880

by Brandt, Allan M.

• ISBN13: 9780195042375
• ISBN10: 0195042379
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1987-01-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

From Victorian anxieties about syphilis to the current hysteria over herpes and AIDS, the history of venereal disease in America forces us to examine social attitudes as well as purely medical concerns. In No Magic Bullet, Allan M. Brandt recounts the various medical, military, and publichealth responses that have arisen over the years--a broad spectrum that ranges from the incarceration of prostitutes during World War I to the establishment of required premarital blood tests. Brandt demonstrates that Americans' concerns about venereal disease have centered around a set of social and cultural values related to sexuality, gender, ethnicity, and class. At the heart of our efforts to combat these infections, he argues, has been the tendency to view venereal disease as botha punishment for sexual misconduct and an index of social decay. This tension between medical and moral approaches has significantly impeded efforts to develop "magic bullets"--drugs that would rid us of the disease--as well as effective policies for controlling the infections' spread. In the paper edition of No Magic Bullet, Brandt adds to his perceptive commentary on the relationship between medical science and cultural values a new chapter on AIDS. Analyzing this latest outbreak in the context of our previous attitudes toward sexually transmitted diseases, he hopes to providethe insights needed to guide us to the policies that will best combat the disease.

Author Biography

Allan M. Brandt is Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Kass Professor of the History of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Sex, Disease, and Medicine	3	(4)
``Damaged Goods'': Progressive Medicine and Social Hygiene	7	(45)
``Fit to Fight'': The Commission on Training Camp Activities	52	(44)
``The Cleanest Army in the World'': Venereal Disease and the AEF	96	(26)
``Shadow on the Land'': Thomas Parran and the New Deal	122	(39)
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet: Venereal Disease in the Age of Antibiotics	161	(22)
``Plagues and Peoples'': The AIDS Epidemic	183	(22)
Appendix	205	(1)
Note on Sources	206	(1)
Manuscript Sources	207	(2)
Abbreviations	209	(1)
Notes	210	(49)
Index	259