First published 2009
International expositions transformed how Americans understood health and medicine between 1876 and 1904. Julie Brown examines four major fairs in Philadelphia, Chicago, Buffalo, and St. Louis to reveal how these massive public gatherings became laboratories for medical innovation. The expositions created temporary cities that needed to solve urgent health challenges while simultaneously educating millions of visitors about medical advances. Brown shows how fair organizers translated complex medical knowledge into visual spectacles that merged education with entertainment. At the 1904 St. Louis exposition, visitors could watch live X-ray demonstrations, observe model playgrounds in action, and see Navy rescue films. These events shaped public understanding of health issues during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Brown argues that expositions served as crucial media platforms that made medical knowledge accessible to ordinary people while testing new approaches to urban health infrastructure.
Genres: 20th-century, american, health, history-of-medicine, 19th-century, academic, history-of-science, american-history
Vibes: educational, informative, thought-provoking
Tropes: educational-entertainment
Setting: Buffalo, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis
Period: 1876-1904
326 pages · Hardcover · Mit Pr