How much has the state of health and wellness advanced in the United States over the last few hundred years? Consider the fact that George Washington’s dentures were made of hippopotamus tusks (not wood); the typically harmful “medical” technique of bloodletting continued until the 19th century; and that Anglo-American infants were commonly prevented from crawling by their parents, for fear that they would never learn to walk.
Health and Wellness in Colonial America covers all aspects of medicine from surgery to the role of religion in healing, giving readers a comprehensive overall picture of medical practices from 1600 to 1800—a topic that speaks volumes about the living conditions during that period. In this book, an introductory chapter describes the ways in which all three cultures in colonial America—European, African, and Native American—thought about medicine. The work covers academic and scientific medicine as well as folk practices, women’s role in healing, and the traditions of Native Americans and African Americans.
Because of its broad scope, the book will be highly useful to advanced high school students; undergraduate students in various areas of studies, such as early American history, women’s history, and history of medicine; and general readers interested in the history of medicine.
