In Pursuit of Health Equity

“A densely packed journey through the ideologies, personalities, politics and health systems which generated the category of social medicine. Teeming with essential references and covering nearly a century of Central and South American involvement in the field, Carter demonstrates how the idea of social medicine waxed and waned with the political forces of its day (welfare states, central planning, authoritarianism and neoliberal reform) while never losing sight of the charismatic individuals who brought its central precepts to life.”—Social History of Medicine

“Carter succeeds with this ambitious history of social medicine in Latin America.”—Hispanic American Historical Review

“The author masterfully selected the key nodes and threads to expose the transformations of social medicine during the twentieth century spearheaded by Latin American intellectuals and politicians. Historians will find the hemispheric scope with a postcolonial perspective focused on Latin American international networks fresh and innovative; this is an overdue study, complementing previous work on Pan-American health . . . Carter has unpacked a new set of academic and political connections and dynamics that will open new, productive, and innovative research avenues.”—H-Sci-Med-Tech

“This work will enrich readers' understanding of social medicine’s complex history and its importance in Latin America.”—CHOICE

“Contributes to the history of medicine and public health not only in Latin America but in global contexts in which questions of equity remain unresolved.”—Isis

“A remarkable look at the origins and evolution of a transnational sociomedical perspective in Latin America of great interest to historians of medicine and leaders of social medicine all over the world.”—Marcos Cueto, Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Brazil

“Timely, lucid, and deeply insightful. Anyone interested in building a more inclusive vision of health equity needs to read this book.”—Jeremy Greene, Johns Hopkins University

“Carter offers a sophisticated and original narrative of social medicine in twentieth-century Latin America, integrating findings from stirring interviews with fresh perspectives on existing sources.”—Anne-Emanuelle Birn, University of Toronto