How do we know when we're sick or healthy? Whose responsibility is it when we're sick to make us well? To keep us well? Why are "alternative" medicines suddenly the new buzz word with health care plans? Do they work? How new and "alternative" are they? This course will examine medical practice in the United States from numerous vantage points, including how politics affects and is affected by disease; how race and gender have historically and currently altered the kind of medical attention one receives; how "alternative" medicines came to be the lesser alternatives; and how medicine became so professionalized.  We will focus this semester largely on public health, and its implications for health care, and health funding, in the United States.

There are seven books required for this course; two are optional but very helpful. They are available at Hewitt Union Bookstore, Kraftees; some are also on reserve in the library.
(Recommended) Carol Berkin and Betty Anderson, The History Handbook
Abraham Verghese, My Own Country
John Harley Warner and Janet Tighe, Major problems in the history of American medicine and public health
Eric Schlosser, Reefer Madness
Atul Gawande, Complications: a surgeon's notes on an imperfect science
Gina Kolata, Flu: The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it
(optional) Paul Starr, The Social transformation of American medicine

Your grade will be calculated as follows: attendance and participation (15%); three papers (10% each); preliminary research paper (15%); final paper (30%).
Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are taken seriously. The general rule is: you cheat, you fail. All cases will be handled following SUNY Oswego policy, please see http://www.oswego.edu/administration/registrar/policy_text.html#cpii.  A note on sources: websources are unacceptable unless otherwise noted.  Proper classroom behavior and respect for your peers is expected at all times. If you need special accommodations for papers, etc, please let me know in advance.
Week 1 (Jan 20): Introduction--what is healthy? what is disease? Warner & Tighe, chapter 1Belkin, preface and chapter 1 Starr, book 1 introduction

Week 2 (Jan 25/27): How to be sick, how to be healthy Warner & Tighe, chapter 2, Blake essay + 3 documents of your choiceBelkin, chapters 2, 5 Starr, book 1, chapter 1

Week 3 (Feb 1/3): Alternate options Warner & Tighe chapter 3, document 8; chapter 5, documents 1,2,5; chapter 4, document 2Starr, book 1, chapter 5
Verghese paper due

Week 4 (Feb 8/10): Education Warner & Tighe chapter 4, documents 3,4,7 + Rosenberg essay; chapter 5, documents 3,4; chapter 7, documents 1-3 + Warner essayBelkin, chapter 6 Starr, book 1, chapter 3

Week 5 (Feb 15/17): Structures, physical and otherwiseWarner & Tighe, chapter 7, documents 4-5 + Hansen essay; chapter 8, Tomes essay
Belkin, chapter 9 Starr, book 1, chapter 2
Preliminary paper due

Week 6 (Feb 22/24): Role of government in health care (public health)Warner & Tighe, chapter 8, documents 1,2,4,5 + Kraut and Risse essaysStarr, book 1, chapter 4

Week 7 (March 1/3): The flu
Warner & Tighe, chapter 9, documents 3-5
Kolata paper due

Week 8 (March 8/10): Race and gender in medicineWarner & Tighe, chapter 12, documents 1, 2, 5-8 + Lederer essay; chapter 9, document 2
Starr, book 2, chapter 1 Belkin, chapter 7

Week 9 (March 22/24): Problems wrought by war
Warner & Tighe, chapter 12, document 3-4 + Marks essay
 

Week 10 (March 29/31): Public health, post war
Warner & Tighe, chapter 13, docuemnts 5-7, Brandt essay

Week 11 (April 5/7): Does technology work?
Warner & Tighe, chapter 14, document 1
Gawande paper due

Week 12 (April 12/14): Everything old is new again?
(Revisit Kolata)

Week 13 (April 19/21): Social policy meets governmentWarner & Tighe chapter 14, documents 1, 2, 6 + Bix essay
Week 14 (April 26/28): Activism in the 21st centuryBelkin, chapters 12, 14
Schlosser paper due

Week 15 (May 3/5): Where are we today?