Detail View

Over the past 200 years, a health reform movement has emerged about every 80 years. These "clean living" cycles surged with, or were tangential to, a religious awakening. Simultaneously with these awakenings, out groups such as immigrants and/or youth were seen to exhibit behaviors that undermined society. Middle class fear of these "dangerous" classes and a desire to eliminate disease, crime, and other perceived health or social problems led to crusades in each of the three reform eras against alcohol, tobacco, drugs, certain foods, and sexual behaviors. A backlash began to emerge from some segments of the population against reform efforts. After the dissipation of the activism phase, laws made during the reform era often became ignored or repealed. With a few exceptions, during the 30 to 40 year ebb of the cycle, the memory of the movement disappeared from public awareness.

Over the past 200 years, a health reform movement has emerged about every 80 years. These clean living cycles surged with, or were tangential to, a religious awakening. Simultaneously with these awakenings, out groups such as immigrants and/or youth were seen to exhibit behaviors that undermined society. Middle class fear of these dangerous classes and a desire to eliminate disease, crime, and other perceived health or social problems led to crusades in each of the three reform eras against alcohol, tobacco, drugs, certain foods, and sexual behaviors. A backlash began to emerge from some segments of the population against reform efforts. After the dissipation of the activism phase, laws made during the reform era often became ignored or repealed. With a few exceptions, during the 30 to 40 year ebb of the cycle, the memory of the movement disappeared from public awareness.

The desire for improved health and social conditions also led to campaigns in favor of exercise, semi-vegetarian diets, women's rights, chastity, and eugenics. Engs describes the interweaving of temperance, women's rights, or religion with most health issues. Factions of established faiths emerged to fight perceived immorality, while alternative religions formed and adopted health reform as dogma. In the reform phase of each cycle, a new infectious disease threatened the population. Some alternative medical practices became popular that later were incorporated into orthodox medicine and public health. Ironically, over each succeeding movement, reformers became more likely to represent grass roots beliefs, or even to be state or federal officials, rather than independent activists.

Information Provided By: :

CONTENTS

Preface = ⅸ

Acknowledgments = xiii

1 Clean Living Movements : An Overview = 1

PART Ⅰ The First Clean Living Movement, 1830 - 1860 = 21

 2 Millennialism, New Religions, and Health Reform = 23

 3 Temperance, Tobacco, and Women's Rights = 35

 4 Christian Physiology, Diet, and Sexuality = 53

 5 Inherited Realities, Phrenology, and Groups with Quasi-Eugenic Undercurrents = 67

 6 Nativism, Cholera, Public Health, and Cures = 83

PART Ⅱ The Second Clean Living Movement, 1880 - 1920 = 101

 7 Religious Zeal, Physical Culture, and Diet = 103

 8 Saloons, Suffrage, and Smoking = 119

 9 Eugenics, Purity, and Birth Control = 137

 10 Pure Food and Drugs and the Elimination of "Dope" = 151

 11 Tuberculosis, Public Health, and Influenza = 165

PART Ⅲ The Third Clean Living Movement, 1970 - 2005 = 179

 12 Religious Awakening, New Age Religions, and Wellness = 183

 13 Drunk Driving, Smoke-Free Environments, and the "War against Drugs" = 201

 14 Women's Lib, Neo-Purity, and AIDS = 225

 15 Fitness, Health, and the New Eugenics = 247

Epilogue = 267

References and Bibliography = 269

Index = 305