No Magic Bullet : A Social History of Venereal Disease in the United States Since 1880- 35th Anniversary Edition

The paperback (276 p.) has an additional chapter on AIDS. `Well-researched, accurate, and clearly written...' New England Journal of Medicine . From Victorian Anxieties About Syphilis To The Current Hysteria Over Herpes And Aids, The History Of Venereal Disease In America Requires Us To Examine Social Attitudes As Well As Purely Medical Concerns. This Brilliant Study Is The First Book To Chronicle The Range And Direction Of American Reactions To The Vd Problem Over The Last Hundred Years. As The Author Makes Clear, The Medical Promise Of Magic Bullets--drugs That Would Rid Us Of Disease- Is, In The Case Of Vd, A Promise Unfulfilled. Despite Dramatic Advances, These Diseases Continue To Exist In Epidemic Proportions. Focusing On This Paradox Of Effective Medicine And Persistent Disease, The Author Recounts The Assorted Medical, Military, And Public Health Responses To The Problems That Have Arisen Over The Years; These Have Ranged From The Widespread Incarceration Of Prostitutes During World War I To The Legal Requirements For Premarital Blood Tests. In The Author's View, American Concerns About Venereal Disease Have Been Inextricably Tied To A Set Of Social And Cultural Values Relating To Sexuality, Gender, Ethnicity, And Class. He Shows How Plans To Combat Sexually Transmitted Infections Have Typically Emphasized The Regulation Of Individual Conduct. At The Heart Of Such Efforts, Brandt Argues, Is An Ongoing Tendency To See Venereal Disease As Both A Punishment For Sexual Misbehavior And An Index Of Social Decay. The Tension Between Medical And Moral Approaches To Vd Has Significantly Impeded Efforts To Control These Infections, For It Has Been Too Often Assumed That Merely Controlling Behavior Is The Answer. In Tracing The Social History Of Vd, This Book Offers A Lucid, Perceptive Commentary On The Relationship Between Medical Science And Cultural Values, Between Sexuality And Disease. -- From Book Jacket. Damaged Goods: Progressive Medicine And Social Hygiene -- Fit To Fight: The Commission On Training Camp Activities -- The Cleanest Army In The World: Venereal Disease And The Aef -- Shadow On The Land: Thomas Parran And The New Deal -- Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet: Venereal Disease In The Age Of Antibiotics. Allan M. Brandt. Includes Index. Manuscript Sources: P. 189-190. Bibliography: P. 192-238. 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 Public Health 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 Both A 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 Provide The Insights Needed To Guide Us To The Policies That Will Best Combat The Disease. Damaged Goods: Progressive Medicine And Social Hygiene -- Fit To Fight: The Commission On Training Camp Activities -- The Cleanest Army In The World: Venereal Disease And The Aef -- Shadow On The Land: Thomas Parran And The New Deal -- Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet: Venereal Disease In The Age Of Antibiotics -- Plagues And Peoples: The Aids Epidemic. Allan M. Brandt. Manuscript Sources: P. [207]-208. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. 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 public health 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 both a 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 this 35th anniversary edition of No Magic Bullet, Brandt reflects on recent scholarship, the persistence of sexually transmitted diseases, and the trajectory of the HIV epidemic, as they have informed contemporary conceptions of biomedicine and global health. Seven hundred illustrations and specially prepared drawings enhance this comprehensive narrative history of architecture and urbanism from the prehistoric environment of the Stone Age to Post-Modernism which encompasses Western and non-Western traditions