The healthiest city : Milwaukee and the politics of health reform / Judith Walzer Leavitt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Leavitt, Judith Walzer.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Health care reform--Wisconsin--Milwaukee--History.

Health care reform.

Public health administration--Wisconsin--Milwaukee--History.

Public health administration.

Public health--Wisconsin--Milwaukee--History.

Public health.

Milwaukee (Wis.)--Politics and government.

Milwaukee (Wis.).

Physical Description:

xxiii, 294 p. : ill.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Madison, WI : University of Wisconsin Press, c1996.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Between 1850 and 1900, Milwaukee's rapid population growth also gave rise to high death rates, infectious diseases, crowded housing, filthy streets, inadequate water supplies, and incredible stench. The Healthiest City shows how a coalition of reform groups brought about community education and municipal action to achieve for Milwaukee the title of "the healthiest city" by the 1930s. This highly praised book reminds us that cutting funds and regulations for preserving public health results in inconvenience, illness, and even death. "A major work.... Leavitt focuses on three illustrative issues-smallpox, garbage, and milk, representing the larger areas of infectious disease, sanitation, and food control."-Norman Gevitz, Journal of the American Medical Association "Leavitt's research provides additional evidence... that improvements in sanitation, living conditions, and diet contributed more to the overall decline in mortality rates than advances in medical practice.... A solid contribution to the history of urban reform politics and public health."-Jo Ann Carrigan, Journal of American History

Contents:

Intro

Contents

List of Illustrations

List of Tables

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. Milwaukee: The City and Its Health Problems

2. The City Health Department

3. The Politics of Health Reform: Smallpox

4. The Politics of Health Reform: Garbage

5. The Politics of Health Reform: Milk

6. The Volunteers

7. The Healthiest City

8. The Process of Change

Chronological Outline of Public Health History in Milwaukee

Essay on the Sources

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780299151638

0299151638

9780585176178

0585176175

OCLC:

646875393