![]() ![]() In reality, the magic refers to the mystique surrounding elite physicians of that time, what we might today call the "white coat" of the doctor, that assures the patient that this professional can heal. One might think that the "magic" of the title refers to the active ingredient in the prescriptions of Native American shamans or West African obeahs, or even Northern European folk healers and herbalists, all of whom the residents of colonial America and the early republic called upon when sick. While orthodox medicine never fully lost its authority, Lotions, Potions, Pills, and Magic argues that their ascendance over other healers didn't begin until the early twentieth century, as germ theory finally migrated from Europe to the United States and American medical education achieved professional standing. Breslaw examines "ethnic borrowings" (of both disease and treatment) of early American medicine and the tension between trained doctors and the lay public. Breslaw describes the evolution of public health crises and solutions. In this overview of health and healing in early America, Elaine G. Instead, Americans sought out both older and newer forms of alternative medicine and people who embraced these methods: midwives, folk healers, Native American shamans, African obeahs and the new botanical and water cure advocates. Traditional medicine became increasingly ineffective. However, in the years following the American Revolution as poverty increased and America's water and air became more polluted, people grew sicker. Consequently, most American doctors felt little need to keep up with Europe's medical advances relying heavily on their traditional depletion methods. Practitioners of traditional forms of health care enjoyed high social status, and the cures they offered-from purging to mere palliatives-carried a powerful authority. The food was plentiful, the air and water were clean, and people tended to enjoy strong constitutions as a result of this environment. Health in early America was generally good. ![]()
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