The Cholera Years : The United States in 1832, 1849, and 1866

Rating:
Summary: A great medical history study
Review: Although it was read in conjunction with an urban history class, I found this book to be very engaging and moving. Rosenberg's writing flows easily through a very disturbing subject. He sets up very fluid parallels between the epidemic's appearance at all three major years: 1832, 1849, and 1866. Of special interest is the role of the NYC Metropolitan Board of Health in controlling and defeating the epidemic.. I hope I didn't ruin the ending for any interested readers: NYC is still a healthy city, despite outbreaks like the ones that Rosenberg identifies...

Rating:
Summary: A Classic!
Review: This book is truely a classic work of history. Although I also read it for a class (Medicine and Society in America), I recommend it to anyone with an interest in medicine, public health, religion, and general social history. In three parallel sections, the book relates the details of the 1832, 1849, and 1866 cholera epidemics. This structure results in some repetition but is needed to fully seen the connections/changes over time. It is extensively footnoted (I recommend you read these too - very interesting) and has a large bibliography... without seeming "overly academic." ENJOY.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic!
Review: This book is truely a classic work of history. Although I also read it for a class (Medicine and Society in America), I recommend it to anyone with an interest in medicine, public health, religion, and general social history. In three parallel sections, the book relates the details of the 1832, 1849, and 1866 cholera epidemics. This structure results in some repetition but is needed to fully seen the connections/changes over time. It is extensively footnoted (I recommend you read these too - very interesting) and has a large bibliography... without seeming "overly academic." ENJOY.