Product Description

Between 1850 and the turn of the century, the population of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, exploded from 20,000 to nearly 300,000. The city's quick growth brought with it all of the problems of nineteenth-century urbanization: high death rates, infectious diseases, crowded housing, filthy streets, inadequate water supplies, and incredible stench. The Healthiest City, now available in paperback, shows how a coalition of reform supporters-including business people, clergy, women's groups, professionals, trade-union Socialists, Populists, and reform Republicans-united to demand community education and public responsibility to achieve for Milwaukee the title of "the healthiest city" by the 1930s. In her new Preface, Judith Walzer Leavitt notes that the 1993 cryptosporidiosis outbreak revealed that Milwaukeeans-and Americans in general in recent years-have paid decreasing attention to the machinery that keeps our cities operating and our citizens healthy. The bill for disinvesting in public health is paid by the public in inconvenience, in illness, and even in death. Leavitt comments, "We are so easily upset by the high cost of building the well that we rarely stop to think that we all need to drink from it."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1391032 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 318 pages

Review
"A major work on the historical development of a single municipal health department. . . . 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 -- Norman Gevitz, ournal of the American Medical Association

"A rich, thoughtful analysis of the city itself, of public health, of municipal reform, and of the unsung heroes of the medical profession-the health commissioners. Highly recommended."-Rosemary Stevens, Isis -- Rosemary Stevens, Isis

"A solid contribution to the history of urban reform politics and public health."-Jo Ann Carrigan, Journal of American History -- o Ann Carrigan, Journal of American History

"A splendid book. . . . In a provocative concluding chapter on the process of change, Leavitt sets a high standard for future studies of a similar kind. . . . It is a joy to read."-Gert H. Brieger, M.D., Wisconsin Magazine of History -- Gert H. Brieger, M.D., Wisconsin Magazine of History

About the Author
Judith Walzer Leavitt is professor of the history of medicine and women's studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the editor of Women and Health in America and coeditor of Sickness & Health in America, both published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

Customer Reviews

Outstanding book, Especially for public health officials
I have to say that this is one of the best books that I've ever read. Once you start reading the healthiest city, you won't wanna put it down. I enjoy the fact that the author talked about the problems Milwaukee was facing and how the city officials were able to solve those problems. The problems ranged from garbage, smallpox, milk and many others. This book can truly enlighten one's knowledge. I truly recommend it.

Disease, Sanitation, and Cities
Leavitt's Healthiest City provides one of the only comprehensive reviews of the history of public health in Milwaukee. While the topic may seem obscure, public health in U.S. cities has played a prominent role in both the formation of political policies and the quality of life in our urban areas. Leavitt's book takes a look at the importance of public health in a city once slated as "America's Healthiest".