Clean Living Movements - American Cycles of Health Reform

Over the past 200 years, a health reform movement has emerged about every 80 years. These clean living cycles surged with, or were tangential to, a religious awakening. Simultaneously with these awakenings, out groups such as immigrants and/or youth were seen to exhibit behaviors that undermined society. Middle class fear of these dangerous classes and a desire to eliminate disease, crime, and other perceived health or social problems led to crusades in each of the three reform eras against alcohol, tobacco, drugs, certain foods, and sexual behaviors. A backlash began to emerge from some segments of the population against reform efforts. After the dissipation of the activism phase, laws made during the reform era often became ignored or repealed. With a few exceptions, during the 30 to 40 year ebb of the cycle, the memory of the movement disappeared from public awareness.

The desire for improved health and social conditions also led to campaigns in favor of exercise, semi-vegetarian diets, women's rights, chastity, and eugenics. Engs describes the interweaving of temperance, women's rights, or religion with most health issues. Factions of established faiths emerged to fight perceived immorality, while alternative religions formed and adopted health reform as dogma. In the reform phase of each cycle, a new infectious disease threatened the population. Some alternative medical practices became popular that later were incorporated into orthodox medicine and public health. Ironically, over each succeeding movement, reformers became more likely to represent grass roots beliefs, or even to be state or federal officials, rather than independent activists.

List of contents

Preface
Introduction
The First Clean Living Movement, 1830-1860
Millennialism, New Religions and Health Reform
Temperance, Tobacco and Women's Rights
Christian Physiology, Diet and Sexuality
"Inherited Realities," Phrenology, and Groups with Quasi Eugenic Undercurrents
Nativism, Cholera, Public Health, and Cures
The Second Clean Living Movement, 1880-1920
Religious Zeal, Physical Culture and Diet
Saloons, Suffrage and Smoking
Eugenics, Purity and Birth Control
Pure Food, Drugs, and the Elimination of "Dope"
Tuberculosis, Public Health and Influenza
The Third Clean Living Movement, mid 1970-2000?
Christian Awakening, "New-Age" Religions, and Wellness
Drunk Driving, Smoke Free Environments, and the "War Against Drugs"
Women's Lib, Neo Purity and AIDS
Fitness, Health, and the New Eugenics
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index

Product details

• Authors: Ruth C. Engs, Engs Ruth Clifford
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 7 to 17
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.01.2000
• EAN: 9780275959944
• ISBN: 978-0-275-95994-4
• No. of pages: 328
• Weight: 680 g
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > General; USA, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, MEDICAL / Public Health, 20th Century, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, MEDICAL / History, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / General, HISTORY / United States / 20th Century, MEDICAL / Preventive Medicine, HISTORY / United States / 19th Century, c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, History of Medicine, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, United States of America, USA, Public health & preventive medicine, Sociology & anthropology, History of the Americas, Sociology and anthropology, Public health and preventive medicine, Health and Wellness: Public Health