In Champions of Charity, John Hutchinson argues that while they set out with a vision to make war more humane, the world's Red Cross organizations soon became enthusiastic promoters of militarism and sacrifice in time of war. In World War I, national Red Cross societies became enthusiastic wartime propagandists. This was true in every combatant nation, and it is a transformation well portrayed by the fascinating selection of art in this book. Soon Red Cross personnel were even sporting military-style uniforms, and in the United States, the Red Cross became so identified with the war effort that an American citizen was convicted of treason for criticizing the Red Cross in time of war!. The Red Cross played an especially important role in encouraging the mass involvement of women in the "home front" for the first time. It did this through magazines, postcards, posters, bandage-rolling parties, and speeches that blended romantic images of humanitarianism and war into a unique brand of maternal militarism. A true pioneer in mass propaganda, the Red Cross taught millions that preparation for war was not just a patriotic duty but a normal and desirable social activity. The Red Cross societies had proven their usefulness in mobilizing civilians in wartime, and most of their functions were taken over by government agencies by the time of World War II. Gradually the Red Cross became better known for its work in public health, disaster relief, and lifesaving classes. But the legacy of a darker past still lingers: the red cross on a white background found on army ambulances, or the unsubtle subtext of sacrifice and heroism in Red Cross television advertising.
Setting / LocationGlobal
Story EraWWII Era
Protagonist / CoreChampions of charity Lead Character
"The bloodshed of the Civil War created both crisis and opportunity for the field of medicine, as doctors were forced to improvise and adapt in the hospital and on the battlefield. This new and exciting challenge in American history was captured in an equally new and exciting medium - photography." "Images of Civil War Medicine: A Photographic History is a collection of images taken during the Civil War. This exceptional visual encyclopedia covers medical facilities, individual surgeons, and other medically related phenomena, accompanied by a text describing the main features of Civil War medicine."--Jacket.
"Cool Shades provides the first in-depth exploration of the enduring appeal of sunglasses in visual culture, both historically and today. Ubiquitous in fashion, advertising, film and graphic design, sunglasses are the ultimate signifier of 'cool' in mass culture; a powerful attribute pervading much fashion and pop cultural imagery which has received little scholarly attention until now. Accessible and highly engaging, this book offers an original history of how sunglasses became a fashion accessory in the early twentieth century, and addresses the complex variety of meanings they have the power to articulate, through associations with vision, light, glamour, darkness, fashion, speed and technology in the context of modernity. Cool Shades will be of great interest to students of fashion, design, visual and material culture, cultural studies and sociology, as well as general readers fascinated by this iconic fashion staple"--
When a new technology makes people ill, how high does the body count have to be before protective steps are taken? This disturbing book tells a dark story of hazardous manufacturing, poisonous materials, environmental abuses, political machinations, and economics trumping safety concerns. It explores the century-long history of "fake silk," or cellulose viscose, used to produce such products as rayon textiles and tires, cellophane, and everyday kitchen sponges. Paul Blanc uncovers the grim history of a product that crippled and even served a death sentence to many industry workers while also releasing toxic carbon disulfide into the environment. Viscose, an innovative and lucrative product first introduced in the early twentieth century, quickly became a multinational corporate enterprise. Blanc investigates industry practices from the beginning through two highly profitable world wars, the midcentury export of hazardous manufacturing to developing countries, and the current "greenwashing" of viscose as an eco-friendly product. Deeply researched and boldly presented, this book brings to light an industrial hazard whose egregious history ranks with those of asbestos, lead, and mercury.
The coal-company doctors of Appalachia fought the health hazards of the coal fields, arguably the most dangerous and diseased working environment of the modern world. Often the doctors were held accountable for evils that persisted despite their best efforts. Claude A. Frazier - a coal-camp doctor's son and a doctor himself - draws on the memories of health workers, miners, and their families to convey the horrific problems in the coal camps, the resourcefulness of the doctors and nurses, and the struggle to raise health standards in and around the mines. Doctor Frazier tells how, from the Civil War to World War II, Appalachian mountain folk were exploited in a feudal system ruled by the coal companies. The miners, always in debt to the company, paid for a doctor's services with a checkoff from wages.^ The company doctor, like the company store, school, and church, was a consequence of the poor transportation and poverty in the wild mountains and narrow valleys where King Coal reigned. Miners and Medicine recalls not only the coal-camp doctors who were incompetent but the many others who performed valiant service in conditions that seem impossible by today's standards - in tiny, polluted communities with no nearby hospital or pharmacy, precious few nurses, and nonexistent sanitary facilities. Often the miners' wives and children, whose stories are told here, went hungry in drafty, pest-ridden company housing, from which they were expelled if they had no family member working in the mine. Boys went to work as teen-agers until child-labor laws finally were enforced in the 1950s. Black lung shortened the lives of virtually all miners.^ Miners and Medicine relates participants' memories of how the company doctors competed with the grannies, yarb doctors, and patent-medicine men, ultimately bringing stable health care and community hospitals to northern Appalachia. Today the company towns have been abandoned or brought up to date, thanks in good part to the company doctors, as well as the United Mine Workers of America. This book will please those who want to savor the attitudes, mores, and spirit of earlier days in Appalachia. It also has appeal for those interested in labor studies, public health and occupational safety. and medical-benefit programs.
Champions of charity by John F. Hutchinson | Literally Just Books
