Malaria-Poverty, Race and Public Health in the United States. (Book Reviews).Author: Margaret Humphreys Margaret Humphreys(born 1944) is a social worker in Nottingham, England, who in 1987 investigated and brought to public attention the British government's practice, between 1947 and 1967, of resettling poor British children in Australia, Canada, and other parts of the Commonwealth Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University, mainly at Baltimore, Md. Johns Hopkins in 1867 had a group of his associates incorporated as the trustees of a university and a hospital, endowing each with $3.5 million. Daniel C. Press, 2001 When I first received the book entitled en·ti·tle tr.v. en·ti·tled, en·ti·tling, en·ti·tles 1. To give a name or title to. 2. To furnish with a right or claim to something: Malaria--Poverty, Race and Public Health in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , I asked myself two questions. First, who would be interested in reading such a book? Second, for whom is that book written? The length of the book was average: about 200 pages. Its price - $41.50 - however, would be a significant deterrent to many potential buyers. I wondered if I should recommend that book to our readers. It is well known that malaria malaria, infectious parasitic disease that can be either acute or chronic and is frequently recurrent. Malaria is common in Africa, Central and South America, the Mediterranean countries, Asia, and many of the Pacific islands. is no longer an important health problem in the US. Worldwide, although it affects over 100 million patients and is responsible for 1 to 2 million deaths annually, it is doubtful whether the means which led to the control of malaria in the US can be used as a model for other countries. The author acknowledges this toward the end of the introduction. So what is the exact purpose of the book and for whom is it written? Is it yet another book recording the results of a researcher working in isolation in an ivory tower ivory tower n. A place or attitude of retreat, especially preoccupation with lofty, remote, or intellectual considerations rather than practical everyday life. and oblivious to the realities of the real world? It is with this somewhat jaundiced jaun·diced adj. 1. Affected with jaundice. 2. Yellow or yellowish. 3. Affected by or exhibiting envy, prejudice, or hostility. jaundiced Adjective 1. view that I started reading the book. Should I make a blistering blis·ter·ing n. See vesiculation. critique, should I just review it in a non-committal manner, or should I just list it with the books received? I certainly did not plan to praise the book and had no intention of recommending it to our readers, except those who may be interested in a very narrow field of the history of medicine. I nevertheless thought I'd give it the benefit of the doubt and decided to read at least a few chapters before making up my mind. As I turned the pages, my attitude changed. I found myself slowing down, and rather than speed-reading, I started enjoying reading the book. I soon realized the depth of the book and its relevance. Using malaria as the focus point, the author explores the close relationship between socio-economic status, race, disease and health and raises a number of important issues. The book is not so much about the history of malaria in the US as it is a critical dissertation on the close relationship between a nation's internal politics, economy, geography/climate, public expenditure on health, and public health. Reading the book, one realizes how closely these are intertwined, affect each other, and how their relationship evolves with the changing times. In this respect, the book is a masterpiece and is recommended reading for anyone involved in or interested in health care. |
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