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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 17965445 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Few historians have attempted to discuss British medicine, health and welfare policies, or the biological sciences around 1900 without due reference to the concept of degeneration. Most tie public concern with degeneration to a specific set of military recruiting figures, which stated that of 11,000 would-be volunteers in Manchester, 8,000 had to be turned away due to physical defects. Further, most histories point out that these figures had a direct influence on the formation of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Physical Deterioration in 1904. With its absolute denial of hereditary decline, the 1904 Report acts as a dénouement of degenerationist fears in Britain. No historian has sought to contextualize these recruiting figures: Where did they come from? How did Manchester react? What role did that city play in the subsequent 1904 Report? Far from being the epitome of urban decay, the 1904 Report repeatedly hails Manchester as a glowing example of innovative urban reform. This article contextualizes the recruiting figures and explores how Manchester had been tackling the three key problems of Physical Deterioration-diet, exercise, and alcohol-for thirty years prior to the 1904 Report. By discussing Manchester, a new understanding of degeneration is outlined; as slogan, rhetorical tool, and urban legend, degeneration was largely feminized and domesticated. Military/masculine problems such as the recruiting figures were the exception, not the rule. |
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Authors:
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Vanessa Heggie |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Historical Article; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2007-10-27 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of the history of medicine and allied sciences Volume: 63 ISSN: 1468-4373 ISO Abbreviation: J Hist Med Allied Sci Publication Date: 2008 Apr |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2008-05-08 Completed Date: 2008-09-24 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0413415 Medline TA: J Hist Med Allied Sci Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 178-216 Citation Subset: IM; Q |
Affiliation:
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Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RH, United Kingdom. vh261@cam.ac.uk |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Alcohol Drinking
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adverse effects Great Britain Health Status* History, 19th Century History, 20th Century Humans Military Personnel / statistics & numerical data* Nutritional Status Physical Fitness* Public Health / history Urban Population* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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