Pseudo-Science and Society in 19th-Century America

ISBN-10: 0813165032
ISBN-13: 9780813165035
Category: Medical
Pages: 256
Language: English
Published: 2014-07-15
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Author: Arthur Wrobel

Description

Progressive nineteenth-century Americans believed firmly that human perfection could be achieved with the aid of modern science. To many, the science of that turbulent age appeared to offer bright new answers to life's age-old questions. Such a climate, not surprisingly, fostered the growth of what we now view as "pseudo-sciences" -- disciplines delicately balancing a dubious inductive methodology with moral and spiritual concerns, disseminated with a combination of aggressive entrepreneurship and sheer entertainment. Such "sciences" as mesmerism, spiritualism, homoeopathy, hydropathy, and phrenology were warmly received not only by the uninformed and credulous but also by the respectable and educated. Rationalistic, egalitarian, and utilitarian, they struck familiar and reassuring chords in American ears and gave credence to the message of reformers that health and happiness are accessible to all. As the contributors to this volume show, the diffusion and practice of these pseudo-sciences intertwined with all the major medical, cultural, religious, and philosophical revolutions in nineteenth-century America. Hydropathy and particularly homoeopathy, for example, enjoyed sufficient respectability for a time to challenge orthodox medicine. The claims of mesmerists and spiritualists appeared to offer hope for a new moral social order. Daring flights of pseudo-scientific thought even ventured into such areas as art and human sexuality. And all the pseudo-sciences resonated with the communitarian and women's rights movements. This important exploration of the major nineteenth-century pseudo-sciences provides fresh perspectives on the American society of that era and on the history of the orthodox sciences, a number of which grew out of the fertile soil plowed by the pseudo-scientists.

Get the book

Similar books

How Institutions are Shaping the Future of Our Children: For Better or for Worse?
By Catherine Dulmus, Karen Sowers
Lammert, M., & Timberlake, E. M. (1986). Termination of foster care for the older adolescent: Issues of emancipation and individuation.
Reversibility of Chronic Disease and Hypersensitivity, Volume 5: Treatment Options of Chemical Sensitivity
By William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel
Dou, L., E. Bertrand, C. Cerini, V. Faure, J. Sampol, R. Vanholder, Y. Berland, P. Brunet. ... A. Timberlake, B. Sumpio, R. Pfragner, I. M. Modlin, M. Kidd.
Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults
By William Ricci, Charles M. Court-Brown, Margaret M. McQueen
Chendrasekhar A, Moorman DW, Timberlake GA. An evaluation of the effects of ... Chittiboina P, Wylen E, Ogden A, et al. Traumatic spondylolisthesis of the ...
Breast Pathology, An Issue of Surgical Pathology Clinics
By Laura C. Collins
Hartmann LC, Radisky DC, Frost MH, et al. Understanding the premalignant potential of ... D'Alfonso TM, Wang K, Chiu YL, et al. Pathologic upgrade rates on ...
Telepractice in Speech-Language Pathology
By K. Todd Houston
Stensland, J., Speedie, S., Ideker, M., House, J., & Thompson, T. (1999). The relative cost of outpatient ... Deal, J. L. (1987). Appraisal and diagnosis of ...
Addressing Adversity: Prioritising adversity and trauma-informed care for children and young people in England.
By Marc Bush, Lord Victor Adebowale, Rebecca Adlington
1 2 Howard, S. and Johnson, B. (2000) Resilient and Non-resilient Behaviour in ... 4 De Haan, L., Hawley, D. and Deal, J. (2002) 'Operationalizing family ...
Culture, Brain, and Analgesia: Understanding and Managing Pain in Diverse Populations
By Mario Incayawar, Knox H. Todd
... are not fluent in the language/s of the medical care provider.72 Research ... Anglo-Americans have traditionally placed a great deal of emphasis on the ...
Image-Guided Spine Interventions
By John M. Mathis
This practical guide thoroughly discusses both well-established and new interventions that are applied to the spine for the purpose of pain relief.
New Mynursinglab -- Access Card -- For Maternal-Child Nursing (24-Month Access)
By Pearson Education, Pearson Education, Inc., David P Pearson Education
Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable.
Pearson's Medical Assisting (General)
By Pearson Education Staff, Madan Dr Pearson Education
If a picture paints a thousand words, imagine what video can do? Pearson Medical Assisting Videos help users learn the nuances and the details of many medical assisting procedures.