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American History
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Books like Pox: An American History

Pox: An American History

I simply loved this book. Willrich does an incredible job blending legal, public health, and cultural history. He manages to be critical of the Progressive Era without sounding anti-reform or anti-progress. In particular, I appreciated the way he talked about the relationship between the post-Civil War society and smallpox vaccination as a social, rather than medical, issue. The information about how the US used vaccination as a tool of empire/war was also new to me and Willrich's insights are very thought provoking. I cannot tell you how often I wrote a "!" in the margin or flipped to the back to write a note to myself.The book is incredibly well researched and organized. Although there were a lot of names and places to keep up with, I never found myself (too) confused or lost. I cannot recommend this book enough to someone who wants to learn more about public health's early days, the early anti-vaccine movement, or the Progressive era. It is not the quickest read, but it is well worth your time.
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