| Description |
1 online resource (xi, 284 pages). |
| Physical Medium |
polychrome |
| Description |
text file |
| Series |
Critical issues in health and medicine
|
|
Critical issues in health and medicine.
|
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
Double jeopardy: cancer and the "cure" -- The court considers informed consent -- The rise of radioactive cobalt -- The back story: "a little of the Buchenwald touch" -- Behind the fallout controversy: the public, the press, and conflicts of interest -- Cancer and fallout: science by circumvention -- Paradise lost -- Subdued by the system -- The hidden assassin: the individual at fault -- Experiments by other means. |
| Summary |
At the end of the Second World War, a diagnosis of cancer was a death sentence. Sixty years later, it is considered a chronic disease rather than one that is invariably fatal. Although survival rates have improved, the very word continues to evoke a special terror and guilt, inspiring scientists and politicians to wage war against it. In Under the Radar, Ellen Leopold shows how nearly every aspect of our understanding and discussion of cancer bears the imprint of its Cold War entanglement. The current biases toward individual rather than corporate responsibility for rising incidence rates, research that promotes treatment rather than prevention, and therapies that can be patented and marketed all reflect a largely hidden history shaped by the Cold War. Even the language we use to describe the disease, such as the guiding metaphor for treatment, "fight fire with fire," can be traced back to the middle of the twentieth century. Writing in a lucid style, Leopold documents the military, governmental, industrial, and medical views of radiation and atomic energy to examine the postwar response to cancer through the prism of the Cold War. She explores the role of radiation in cancer therapies today, using case studies and mammogram screening, in particular, to highlight the surprising parallels. Taking into account a wide array of disciplines, this book challenges our understanding of cancer and how we approach its treatment. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Cancer -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
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Cancer. |
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United States. |
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History. |
| Chronological Term |
20th century |
| Subject |
Cobalt -- Isotopes -- Therapeutic use -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
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Cobalt -- Isotopes -- Therapeutic use. |
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Cold War -- Health aspects -- United States.
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Cold War (1945-1989) |
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Informed consent (Medical law) -- United States.
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Informed consent (Medical law) |
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Radioactive fallout -- United States.
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Radioactive fallout. |
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Radiation carcinogenesis -- United States.
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Radiation carcinogenesis. |
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Neoplasms -- history. |
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Cobalt Radioisotopes -- history. |
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History, 20th Century. |
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Human Experimentation -- history. |
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Patient Rights -- history. |
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Radioactive Fallout -- history. |
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Radiotherapy -- history. |
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United States. |
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
|
| Other Form: |
Print version: Leopold, Ellen, 1944- Under the radar. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, ©2009 9780813544045 (DLC) 2008007751 (OCoLC)212375892 |
| ISBN |
9780813545653 (electronic book) |
|
081354565X (electronic book) |
|
1281801747 |
|
9781281801746 |
|
9780813544045 |
|
0813544041 |
| Standard No. |
9786611801748 |
|
