The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture

302 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 18 halftones, 2 figs., 2 tables, bibl., index

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-3720-7
Published: November 2012
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-3743-6
Published: November 2012
E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-8618-7
Published: November 2012

New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture

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Science and medicine have been critical to southern history and the formation of southern culture. For three centuries, scientists in the South have documented the lush natural world around them and set a lasting tradition of inquiry. The medical history of the region, however, has been at times tragic. Disease, death, and generations of poor health have been the legacy of slavery, the plantation economy, rural life, and poorly planned cities. The essays in this volume explore this legacy as well as recent developments in technology, research, and medicine in the South.

Subjects include natural history, slave health, medicine in the Civil War, public health, eugenics, HIV/AIDS, environmental health, and the rise of research institutions and hospitals, to name but a few. With 38 thematic essays, 44 topical entries, and a comprehensive overview essay, this volume offers an authoritative reference to science and medicine in the American South.

Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi

About the Authors

James G. Thomas Jr. is associate director for publications at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. He is also managing editor of The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.
For more information about James G. Thomas Jr., visit the Author Page.

Charles Reagan Wilson is Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Chair in History and Professor of southern studies at the University of Mississippi. He is coeditor of the original Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.
For more information about Charles Reagan Wilson, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

"[A] multi-year, multi-dimensional, and unprecedented series."--Library Journal

"The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture is terrific . . . It includes so much more material, with a lot of new scholars writing about topics scholars had not discussed before."--Southern Register

"It contains much material that anyone posing as an authority on the culture of the South ought to know."--North Carolina Historical Review

"Scholars, students, and the wider public will find the encyclopedia a thoughtful introduction and a source for deeper knowledge on the role of medicine and science in Southern life. Nuances, surprises, and critical ideas abound in this great read."--Susan M. Reverby, Wellesley College

"An excellent, engrossing volume on the fascinating landscape of science and medicine in the American South. A judicious mix of broad topics and particular events and individuals, this well-edited text is scholarship of the first rank. It will be an essential guide for anyone seeking knowledge of science and medicine in this important region."--Steven M. Stowe, Indiana University, author of Doctoring the South: Southern Physicians and Everyday Medicine in the Mid-Nineteenth Century