ePub The Health Of The Country How American Settlers Understood Themselves And Their Land by Conevery Bolton Valencius in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Land and Body in Antebellum ArkansasBy Taylor roseFor American settlers in the middle Mississippi River basin during the early nineteenth century; the boundaries between self and surroundings were porous. Nebulous notions of health and productivity seeped into the language; everyday actions; and thoughts of Arkansas homesteaders. In The Health of the Country; Conevery Bolton Valencius digs into the diaries; letters; and literature of settlers to unearth how these newcomers assessed the character and potential of the land to which they had so recently arrived.Valencius takes a thematic approach to the topic of antebellum medical geography; switching gracefully between narratives regarding overland migration; subtropical epidemiology; yeoman agriculture; water ecology; racial anxiety; and the professionalization (and resulting amateurization) of medical practice. Despite our modern tendency to compartmentalize the various studies of body and land; Valencius argues that these frontiersmen and women thought in more holistic terms. A fever; for example; could be the result of anything from stagnant water to ethereal miasmas to a recent change in location. Likewise; agricultural success might be due to healthy soil; but it could just as easily be correlated with human fecundity. Simply stated: “As they described the world around them; so too did early Americans describe themselves” (99).Of course; the book has its flaws. To what degree does this synthesis of individual and environmental concerns translate geographically and temporally? Valencius repeatedly remarks on the quintessentially American nature of frontier settlement; but do we see the same occurring farther west of the Mississippi? And later in the nineteenth century? The author does not say. She does; however; appropriately emphasize dissociation from the land as a major force behind the aforementioned inclination to separate issues of health and environment in the twenty-first century. In my opinion; this is the book’s most revelatory conclusion. In this way; Health is an important contribution to several sub-disciplines of history and a key insight into antebellum epistemology.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Shedding light on an era that is usually forgottenBy Dog OwnerThe time period discussed in this book is usually "glossed over" by teachers and professors. The author sheds light on the early development of science; the relationship between people and their environment; and other pieces of information that haven't been discussed for with most students. I enjoyed the author's humorous; yet academic style; and feel more layers of meaning can be gained from each reading.2 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Interesting readBy cm readerhad to buy this book for an american environmental history class. learned a lot of how americans used to perceive health. great class; good book. a little dry sometimes; but how else do you write about something that happened over a hundred years ago?