The deadly truth : a history of disease in America

The Deadly Truth chronicles the complex interactions between disease and the peoples of America from the pre-Columbian world to the present. Grob's ultimate lesson is stark but valuable: there can be no final victory over disease. The world in which we live undergoes constant change, which in turn creates novel risks to human health and life. We conquer particular diseases, but others always arise in their stead. In a powerful challenge to our tendency to see disease as unnatural and its virtual elimination as a real possibility, Grob asserts the undeniable biological persistence of disease. Diseases ranging from malaria to cancer have shaped the social landscape--sometimes through brief, furious outbreaks, and at other times through gradual occurrence, control, and recurrence. Grob integrates statistical data with particular peoples and places while giving us the larger patterns of the ebb and flow of disease over centuries. Throughout, we see how much of our history, culture, and nation-building was determined--in ways we often don't realize--by the environment and the diseases it fostered. The way in which we live has shaped, and will continue to shape, the diseases from which we get sick and die. By accepting the presence of disease and understanding the way in which it has physically interacted with people and places in past eras, Grob illuminates the extraordinarily complex forces that shape our morbidity and mortality patterns and provides a realistic appreciation of the individual, social, environmental, and biological determinants of human health. (20030501) Annotation The Deadly Truthchronicles the complex interactions between disease and the peoples of America from the pre-Columbian world to the present. Grob's ultimate lesson is stark but valuable: there can be no final victory over disease. The world in which we live undergoes constant change, which in turn creates novel risks to human health and life. We conquer particular diseases, but others always arise in their stead. In a powerful challenge to our tendency to see disease as unnatural and its virtual elimination as a real possibility, Grob asserts the undeniable biological persistence of disease. Diseases ranging from malaria to cancer have shaped the social landscape--sometimes through brief, furious outbreaks, and at other times through gradual occurrence, control, and recurrence. Grob integrates statistical data with particular peoples and places while giving us the larger patterns of the ebb and flow of disease over centuries. Throughout, we see how much of our history, culture, and nation-building was determined--in ways we often don't realize--by the environment and the diseases it fostered. The way in which we live has shaped, and will continue to shape, the diseases from which we get sick and die. By accepting the presence of disease and understanding the way in which it has physically interacted with people and places in past eras, Grob illuminates the extraordinarily complex forces that shape our morbidity and mortality patterns and provides a realistic appreciation of the individual, social, environmental, and biological determinants of human health The Deadly Truth Chronicles The Complex Interactions Between Disease And The Peoples Of America From The Pre-columbian World To The Present. Grob's Ultimate Lesson Is Stark But Valuable: There Can Be No Final Victory Over Disease. The World In Which We Live Undergoes Constant Change, Which In Turn Creates Novel Risks To Human Health And Life. We Conquer Particular Diseases, But Others Always Arise In Their Stead. In A Powerful Challenge To Our Tendency To See Disease As Unnatural And Its Virtual Elimination As A Real Possibility, Grob Asserts The Undeniable Biological Persistence Of Disease.--jacket. The Pre-columbians -- New Diseases In The Americas -- Colonies Of Sickness -- The Promise Of Enlightened Health -- Threats To Urban Health -- Expanding America, Declining Health -- Threats Of Industry -- Stopping The Spread Of Infection -- The Discovery Of Chronic Illness -- No Final Victory. Gerald N. Grob. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [277]-338) And Index. "The Deadly Truth chronicles the complex interactions between disease and the peoples of America from the pre-Columbian world to the present. Grob's ultimate lesson is stark but valuable: there can be no final victory over disease. The world in which we live undergoes constant change, which in turn creates novel risks to human health and life. We conquer particular diseases, but others always arise in their stead. In a powerful challenge to our tendency to see disease as unnatural and its virtual elimination as a real possibility, Grob asserts the undeniable biological persistence of disease."--BOOK JACKET. Contents Preface Prologue 1 The Pre-Columbians 2 New Diseases in the Americas 3 Colonies of Sickness 4 The Promise of Enlightened Health 5 Threats to Urban Health 6 Expanding America, Declining Health 7 Threats of Industry 8 Stopping the Spread of Infection 9 The Discovery of Chronic Illness 10 No Final Victory Notes Index An analysis of how disease has shaped American history explores the connection between the environment and disease, outlining the complex forces that determine human health and concluding that disease will always be a part of life. (History)