The archaeology of American medicine and healthcare / Meredith Reifschneider ; foreword by Michael S. Nassaney and Krysta Ryzewski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reifschneider, Meredith, author.

Nassaney, Michael S., author of foreword.

Ryzewski, Krysta, author of foreword.

Series:

American experience in archaeological perspective

The American experience in archaeological perspective

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Medical care--United States--History.

Medical care.

Medicine--United States--History.

Medicine.

Public health--United States--History.

Public health.

Physical Description:

xvii, 201 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Gainesville : University Press of Florida, [2025]

Summary:

"In this book, Meredith Reifschneider synthesizes archaeological research on healthcare and medicine to show how practices in the United States have evolved since the nineteenth century, demonstrating that historical archaeology can provide important insights into healthcare and modes of self-care in the past"-- Provided by publisher.

"Examining the dynamic histories of medical practice in the United States through the lens of historical archaeology In this book, Meredith Reifschneider synthesizes archaeological research on healthcare and medicine to show how practices in the United States have evolved since the nineteenth century. Tracing the areas of medical science and healthcare professionalization, alternative medicine, healthcare consumerism, and public health reform, Reifschneider shows how historical archaeology-which draws on information from the material record, archival sources, historical documents, and ethnographic research-can provide important insights into healthcare and modes of self-care in the past. Reifschneider analyzes archaeological evidence uncovered from sites such as house deposits, middens, latrines, and hospital waste pits that demonstrates how official healthcare policies were implemented in daily life, revealing a diversity of therapeutic practices connected to social identities. The book includes a case study of the US Army's hygiene and healthcare practices at the Presidio of San Francisco, showing how soldiers engaged in practices mandated by the government while also using alternative therapies for self-care. Throughout the book, Reifschneider highlights structural health inequalities in the past and how the effects of previous exclusionary policies continue to manifest in the present day. By examining healthcare and medicine through the lens of archaeology, this book demonstrates the dynamic and often unexpected histories of medical practice, pointing to the ways Americans' experiences today reflect these historical dynamics. A volume in the series the American Experience in Archaeological Perspective, edited by Michael S. Nassaney and Krysta Ryzewski "-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Professional Medicine and Archaeologies of the American Healthcare System

Healthcare Consumerism and Medicalization

Archaeologies of Public Health

Biocitizenship and Healthcare at the Presidio of San Francisco: The Moral Imperative of Health and Hygiene

Conclusion

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Reifschneider, Meredith. Archaeology of American medicine and healthcare

ISBN:

9780813079257

081307925X

OCLC:

1435617745