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Far from its detached, objective ideal, medical science profoundly affects and is profoundly affected by culture. The evolution of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in the United States exemplifies this intimate relationship.
Americans have been "at war" with breast cancer since the late 1800s. When a woman is diagnosed with the disease, she is expected to do battle with the enemy, first undergoing heroic treatment and then emerging as a survivor. In this e-seminar, Barron H. Lerner,
associate professor of medicine and public health at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, explores the historical evolution of America's ongoing efforts to cure breast cancer. Students will emerge with a better knowledge of how politics and culture influence our understandings of diseases such as breast cancer.
>>Buy the Book: "The
Breast Cancer Wars: Hope, Fear, and the Pursuit of a Cure in
20th Century America" |
