Overview

In this examination of malaria, Margaret Humphreys presents a book-length account of the parasitic, insect-borne disease that has infected millions and influenced settlement patterns, economic development, and the quality of life at every level of American society, especially in the south. Humphreys approaches malaria from three perspectives: the parasite's biological history, the medical response to it, and the patient's experience of the disease. She addresses numerous questions including how the parasite thrives and eventually becomes vulnerable, how professionals came to know about the parasite and learned how to fight it, and how people view the disease and came to the point where they could understand and support the struggle against it. In addition the work argues that malaria control was central to the evolution of local and federal intervention in public health, and demonstrates the complex interaction between poverty, race and geography in determining the fate of malaria.

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9780801866371

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Reviews

This is a fresh (and plausible) explanation for the disappearance of another southern germ of laziness, and it is presented in a study that does a fine job of packaging its findings within a richly documented historical context. -- Kenneth F. Kiple Journal of Southern History Margaret Humphrey's monograph on malaria in America has a strong storyline and a well-articulated thesis. It combines modern knowledge of malaria transmission and the genetic basis of resistance with a sound appreciation of the social, geographical and cultural nuances of the disease in American history. -- W.F. Bynum Times Literary Supplement A fascinating story of the spread of malaria through the USA following its introduction in the 17th century, through its greatest geographical coverage in the 19th century. -- Allan Saul Nature Medicine The main purpose of this book is to carry out an in-depth dialogue on the mystery of malaria and its existence in some parts of the world and disappearance in another based on the historical facts... The insight that [this] history provides has enormous value for global health. Doody's Health Sciences Review [ Malaria] is a masterpiece and is recommended reading for anyone involved in or interested in health care. -- Ronald C.HamdyMDFRCPFACP Southern Medical Journal A complex and fascinating story of the social history of malaria. -- Elizabeth Fee American Historical Review Gracefully written, perceptive, and well-documented, it will make historians of medicine, public health, and the social history of the American South grateful for her efforts. Medical History The lack of jargon makes the book accessible to a wide audience. -- Leo B. Slater, PhD Journal of the History of Medicine 2005 Accessible to a wide audience. A great breadth and depth of research underpins each chapter. -- Leo B. Slater Journal of the History of Medicine 2006

<p> Margaret Humphrey's monograph on malaria in America has a strong storyline and a well-articulated thesis. It combines modern knowledge of malaria transmission and the genetic basis of resistance with a sound appreciation of the social, geographical and cultural nuances of the disease in American history. -- W.F. Bynum, Times Literary Supplement

Author Information

Margaret Humphreys received her Ph.D. degree from Harvard University in the history of science, followed by the M.D. degree in 1987 from Harvard Medical School. After residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, she practiced medicine for another three years in Quincy and Braintree, MA. In 1993 she moved to Duke University in Durham, NC, where she practices medicine and teaches in the Department of History. She also edits the Journal of the History of Medicine and is the author of the book Yellow Fever and the South .

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