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Palgrave Macmillan

Religion, Law, and the Medical Neglect of Children in the United States, 1870–2000

'The Science of the Age'

  • Book
  • © 2019

Overview

Authors:
  1. Lynne Curry

    1. Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, USA

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  • Emphasizes the medicine v. religion debate in the context of children’s increasing social importance
  • Draws comparisons between Western Europe and Canada and the US
  • Features a highly engaging writing style and very strong narrative

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Childhood (PSHC)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Lynne Curry
    Pages 1-11

  3. The Physical Child

    • Lynne Curry
    Pages 13-34

  4. The Public Child

    • Lynne Curry
    Pages 35-58

  5. The Metaphysical Child

    • Lynne Curry
    Pages 59-82

  6. The Infected Child

    • Lynne Curry
    Pages 83-105

  7. Children on the Battle Line Between Religion and Medicine

    • Lynne Curry
    Pages 107-129

  8. Children’s Medical Care in the Courts

    • Lynne Curry
    Pages 131-153

  9. The Science of the Age

    • Lynne Curry
    Pages 155-177

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 179-197
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Keywords

About this book

Drawing upon a diverse range of archival evidence, medical treatises, religious texts, public discourses, and legal documents, this book examines the rich historical context in which controversies surrounding the medical neglect of children erupted onto the American scene. It argues that several nineteenth-century developments collided to produce the first criminal prosecutions of parents who rejected medical attendance as a tenet of their religious faith. A view of children as distinct biological beings with particularized needs for physical care had engendered both the new medical practice field of pediatrics and a vigorous child welfare movement that forced legislatures and courts to reconsider public and private responsibility for ensuring children’s physical  well-being. At the same time, a number of healing religions had emerged to challenge the growing authority of medical doctors and the appropriate role of the state in the realm of child welfare. The rapid proliferation of the new healing churches, and the mixed outcomes of parents’ criminal trials, reflected ongoing uneasiness about the increasing presence of science in American life.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, USA

    Lynne Curry

About the author

Lynne Curry is Professor Emerita of History at Eastern Illinois University, USA. She is the author of several works that examine the intersections of American medical and legal history and the history of childhood, including The Human Body on Trial: A Handbook with Cases, Laws, and Documents, and The DeShaney Case: Child Abuse, Family Rights, and the Dilemma of State Intervention.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Religion, Law, and the Medical Neglect of Children in the United States, 1870–2000

  • Book Subtitle: 'The Science of the Age'

  • Authors: Lynne Curry

  • Series Title: Palgrave Studies in the History of Childhood

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24689-1

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-24688-4Published: 24 August 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-24691-4Published: 25 August 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-24689-1Published: 01 August 2019

  • Series ISSN: 2634-6532

  • Series E-ISSN: 2634-6540

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 197

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: US History, Cultural History, Social History, History of Medicine, Childhood, Adolescence and Society

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