Tuberculosis Control And Institutional Change In Shanghai 1911 2011

This volume is the first book-length monograph on the most widespread and deadly infectious disease in China, both historically and today: tuberculosis (TB). Weaving together interviews with data from periodicals and local archives in Shanghai, Rachel Core examines the rise and fall of TB control in China from the 1950s to the 1990s. The answer to this, Core argues, lies in the socialist work-unit system. Under the work-unit system, the vast majority of people had guaranteed employment, a host of benefits tied to their workplace, and there was little mobility—factors that made the delivery of medical and public health services possible in both urban and rural areas. The dismantling of work units amid wider market reforms in the 1980s and 1990s led to the rise of temporary and casual employment and a huge migrant worker population, with little access to health care, creating new challenges in TB control. This study of Shanghai has major implications for institutional research on disease control. It will provide valuable lessons for historians, social scientists, public health specialists, and many others working on public health infrastructure on both the national and global level. “Core’s study is timely as it deals with an important problem in public health and healthcare at a time when the world is trying to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and other emerging infectious diseases. There are no comparable studies in English.” —Ka-che Yip, University of Maryland Baltimore County “Based on careful empirical research and interviews with dozens of patients, Core’s study demonstrates that tuberculosis control was one of the success stories of Mao’s socialist regime. In our current era—with its proliferation of respiratory illnesses driven by global capitalism—this public health history deserves to be widely known.” —Ruth Rogaski, Vanderbilt University

Co-published with UNESCO A product of the UNESCO-IHP project on Water and Cultural Diversity, this book represents an effort to examine the complex role water plays as a force in sustaining, maintaining, and threatening the viability of culturally diverse peoples. It is argued that water is a fundamental human need, a human right, and a core sustaining element in biodiversity and cultural diversity. The core concepts utilized in this book draw upon a larger trend in sustainability science, a recognition of the synergism and analytical potential in utilizing a coupled biological and social systems analysis, as the functioning viability of nature is both sustained and threatened by humans.

In Tuberculosis Then and Now leading scholars and new researchers in the field reflect on the changing medical, social, and cultural understanding of the disease and engage in a wider debate about the role of narrative in the social history of medicine and how it informs current debates and issues surrounding the treatment of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Through a case study of the history of tuberculosis and its treatment, this collection examines medicine and health care from the perspectives of class, race, and gender, providing a challenging and refreshing addition to the field of bacteria-centred accounts of the history of medicine.

Leading economic historians present a groundbreaking series of country case studies exploring the formation of fiscal states in Eurasia.

Offers a look at the causes and effects of poverty and inequality, as well as the possible solutions. This title features research, human stories, statistics, and compelling arguments. It discusses about the world we live in and how we can make it a better place.

Background papers 1 to 9 published as technical documents. Available in separate records from WHO/HSS/EHT/DIM/10.1 to WHO/HSS/EHT/DIM/10.9

“Rich insights into how one country has dealt with perhaps the most central issue for any human society: the health and wellbeing of its citizens.” —The Lancet This volume examines important aspects of China’s century-long search to provide appropriate and effective health care for its people. Four subjects—disease and healing, encounters and accommodations, institutions and professions, and people’s health—organize discussions across case studies of schistosomiasis, tuberculosis, mental health, and tobacco and health. Among the book’s significant conclusions are the importance of barefoot doctors in disseminating western medicine; the improvements in medical health and services during the long Sino-Japanese war; and the important role of the Chinese consumer. This is a thought-provoking read for health practitioners, historians, and others interested in the history of medicine and health in China.