Nature Cures: The History of Alternative Medicine in America / Edition 1

by James C. Whorton

Overview

From reflexology and rolfing to shiatsu and dream work, we are confronted today by a welter of alternative medical therapies. But as James Whorton shows in Nature Cures, the recent explosion in alternative medicine actually reflects two centuries of competition and conflict between mainstream medicine and numerous unorthodox systems.
This is the first comprehensive history of alternative medicine in America, examining the major systems that have emerged from 1800 to the present. Writing with wit and with fairness to all sides, Whorton offers a fascinating look at alternative health systems such as homeopathy, water cures, Mesmerism, Christian Science, osteopathy, chiropractic, naturopathy, and acupuncture. He highlights the birth and growth of each system (including European roots where appropriate) and vividly describes both the theories and the therapies developed within each system, including such dubious practices as hour-long walks barefoot in snow or Samuel Thompson's "puking and steaming" regimen. In particular, Whorton illuminates the philosophy of "natural healing" that has been espoused by alternative practitioners throughout history and the distinctive interpretations of "nature cure" developed by the different systems. Though he doesn't hesitate to point out the failings of these systems, he also shows that some "cult medicines" have eventually won recognition from practitioners of mainstream medicine.
Throughout, Whorton writes with a light touch and quotes from contemporary humorists such as Mark Twain. His book is an engaging and authoritative history that highlights the course of alternative medicine in the U.S., providing valuable background to the wide range of therapies available today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195171624
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/06/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	9.26(w) x 6.02(h) x 1.02(d)
Lexile:	1570L (what's this?)

About the Author

James C. Whorton is Professor of the History of Medicine in the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington. An authority on the history of medicine and health, his books include Inner Hygiene: Constipation and the Pursuit of Health in Modern Society; Crusaders for Fitness: The History of American Health Reformers; and Before Silent Spring: Pesticides and Public Health in Pre-DDT America.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
Part I	The Nineteenth Century: Natural Healing	1
1.	The Hippocratic Heresy: Alternative Medicine's Worldview	3
2.	Every Man His Own Physician: Thomsonianism	25
3.	Dilutions of Grandeur: Homeopathy	49
4.	Physical Puritanism: Hygeiotherapy	77
5.	Magnetism and Mind: From Mesmerism to Christian Science	103
Part II	The Early Twentieth Century: Drugless Healing	131
6.	The Licensing Question: The Campaign for Medical Freedom	133
7.	The Rule of the Artery: Osteopathy	141
8.	Innate Intelligence: Chiropractic	165
9.	Therapeutic Universalism: Naturopathy	191
Part III	The Late Twentieth Century: Holistic Healing	219
10.	From Medical Cultism to Alternative Medicine	221
11.	The Holistic Health Explosion: Acupuncture	245
12.	From Alternative Medicine to Complementary Medicine	271
	Conclusion: The Twenty-first Century: The Age of Curapathy?	297
	Abbreviations	308
	Notes	311
	Index	360

Editorial Reviews

"A significant contribution, Nature Cures provides a valuable perspective on the unconventional therapies that for many decades have, to the dismay of organized medicine, attracted large numbers of Americans engaged in the pursuit of health."—Science

"An authority on the history of medicine and health...his engaging, authoritative, and interesting book provides a valuable background to the wide range of therapies available today."—NAPRA Review

"A lively tale filled with fads and quackery, much of which was sanctioned by the medical establishment of its day, while efficacious regimes that are still practiced today were denounced. In so doing, he remains remarkably evenhanded and touches on the lives and reputations of such notables as Mary Baker Eddy, Catherine Beecher (sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe) and Daniel Webster."—New York Daily News

"A distinguished and respected writer about health and medicinal studies, Whorton gives us a thorough, deeply researched and objective history of alternative medicine. Presented in a relaxed and reliable style, this book is highly readable and surprisingly entertaining."—Statesman Journal

"Thorough, enjoyable, and rigorous, this study documents the major 'unconventional' healing movements of 19th- and 20th-century America. This book fills a large gap.... Highly recommended."—Library Journal

From the Publisher

Nature Cures: The History of Alternative Medicine in America, by James C. Whorton, Ph.D. (Oxford, $30). The current trends in alternative medicine from reflexology and rolfing to shiatsu and dream work aren't just hippie-era fallout but reflect two centuries of legal conflict and economic competition between mainstream treatments for illness and the myriad unorthodox therapies. Whorton, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, tells a lively tale filled with fads and quackery, much of which was sanctioned by the medical establishment of its day, while efficacious regimes that are still practiced today were denounced. In so doing, he remains remarkably evenhanded and touches on the lives and reputations of such notables as Mary Baker Eddy, Catherine Beecher (sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe) and Daniel Webster. Sent in Vera's absence

Daily News

Thorough, enjoyable, and rigorous, this study documents the major "unconventional" healing movements of 19th- and 20th-century America. Whorton (history of medicine, Univ. of Washington) traces the origins and influences of Thomsonianism, homeopathy, mesmerism, Christian Science, osteopathy, chiropractic, naturopathy, and acupuncture, briefly discussing therapeutic touch, visualization, and prayer as well. The author also examines the rancorous history of medical licensing in the United States and leaves the reader with a sense that 21st-century healthcare will allow for a more conciliatory system of integrative medicine. He focuses on organized healing traditions and therefore does not examine the recent trend toward mass-market teas, supplements, herbal remedies, and other now-routine household therapies. This book fills a large gap left since the publication of Norman Gevitz's 1988 collection of essays, Other Healers: Unorthodox Medicine in America. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.-Andy Wickens, King Cty. Lib. Syst., Seattle

Library Journal

A lively, entertaining, and well-documented introduction to the history of unconventional medicine in the US over the past two centuries. Whorton, who teaches a consciousness-raising course on alternative approaches to healing at the Univ. of Washington School of Medicine, neither condemns nor recommends these practices but seeks a further entente between orthodox and alternative medicine through increasing each group’s understanding of the other. Alternative medicine has had a long and colorful history in the US, and Whorton’s fair-minded account is filled with fascinating details of its conflicts with mainstream medicine. He explores the roots, foreign and domestic, of various alternative systems, their shared values, their common perceptions of orthodox medicine, and the reasons behind mainstream medicine’s efforts to suppress their activities. While some nonstandard approaches to healing are widely familiar today—chiropractic, acupuncture, and Christian Science, for example—Whorton brings to light some long-forgotten ones. Who but a medical historian recalls Thomsonianism, developed by a New Hampshire farmer whose regimen relied on botanicals and the inducement of vomiting and sweating? Or hydropathy, which employed copious amounts of water both inside and out? Whorton gives these and other therapies a historic context, relating them to the political thought and social movements of their times. Especially interesting is the story of how osteopathy, once scorned by orthodox medicine, has gradually been absorbed by it. In his conclusion, Whorton notes that the redesignation of some unconventional approaches as "complementary medicine" and the emergence of "integrative medicine" indicatea growing recognition that alternative approaches of various types may indeed have something to offer in balancing the treatments offered by conventional medicine. While health-care professionals are the primary audience, there’s much here to interest and perhaps amaze anyone who has ever been a patient.

Kirkus Reviews