Between 1850 and 1900, Milwaukee’s rapid population growth also gave rise to high death rates, infectious diseases, crowded housing, filthy streets, inadequate water supplies, and incredible stench. The Healthiest City shows how a coalition of reform groups brought about community education and municipal action to achieve for Milwaukee the title of “the healthiest city” by the 1930s. This highly praised book reminds us that cutting funds and regulations for preserving public health results in inconvenience, illness, and even death. “A major work. . . . Leavitt focuses on three illustrative issues—smallpox, garbage, and milk, representing the larger areas of infectious disease, sanitation, and food control.”—Norman Gevitz, Journal of the American Medical Association “Leavitt’s research provides additional evidence . . . that improvements in sanitation, living conditions, and diet contributed more to the overall decline in mortality rates than advances in medical practice. . . . A solid contribution to the history of urban reform politics and public health.”—Jo Ann Carrigan, Journal of American History

The March of medicine through Wisconsin is a fascinating story, full of triumph and failure, heroes and quacks, and -- overriding all -- stuttering steps toward a modern system of health care that has witnessed the doubling of life expectancies among Wisconsin citizens. This is the story of medicine in Wisconsin, told by professional historians, each speaking from his or her area of specialty. Since territorial times, the physician has risen from a position of marginal respectability to one of unparalleled admiration and trust. The hospital, unknown to residents just 150 years ago, has become a symbol of modern science and a source of civic pride. Knowledge of disease has revolutionized health practices. The purpose of this book is not to celebrate the achievements of Wisconsin's physicians, notable as they have been, but to look critically and sympathetically at the state's medical record. The contributors make no exaggerated claims for Wisconsin. Occasionally, the state led the nation in health matters, but more often it followed the example of others. With this book, the reader will come to understand how and why Wisconsin's medical practice evolved. - Jacket flap.