The Politics of Healing - of Alternative Medicine History

In this review of The Politics of Healing the reviewer finds a thoughtful, scholarly collection aimed at readers who want historical context for modern alternative medicine trends. The book brings together essays from historians and social scientists to show that therapies from homeopathy to Navajo healing did not simply vanish as professional medicine consolidated power. For anyone researching the social and political forces shaping North American healing practices, this volume provides balanced perspectives and archival insight that make it worth reading.

Key Features

• Interdisciplinary essays: The collection assembles work by historians, anthropologists and sociologists to trace how different healing traditions interacted with political forces.
• Historical scope: Chapters place alternative therapies in a multi-decade context, showing continuities and shifts in public popularity and professional responses.
• Geographic breadth: Coverage ranges across North America and includes case studies such as Navajo healing alongside urban and commercial practices.
• Critical counterarguments: Contributors challenge simple narratives that alternative medicine fell into disrepute after the Progressive Era, offering more nuanced explanations.
• Source-based analysis: Essays draw on archival and historical sources to support claims about institutions, practitioners and patient communities.

Who It's For

This book is best for students, researchers, and informed general readers interested in the history of medicine, health policy and cultural responses to healing. Those seeking a single-author introduction will find the edited-collection format valuable for exposing multiple methodologies and perspectives.

Readers expecting a how-to guide, practical health advice, or an advocacy handbook for alternative therapies should look elsewhere; the volume is an academic treatment of social and political history rather than a consumer health manual.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Offers a well-rounded, interdisciplinary view that highlights the political dimensions of healing.
• Includes both regional and national examples, broadening understanding of how therapies circulated.
• Uses archival evidence and scholarly debate to challenge simple historical myths.

Cons

• The edited-collection format means depth varies between chapters, so readers may find some essays stronger than others.

Specifications

Our Verdict

The Politics of Healing is a worthwhile, evidence-driven collection for anyone studying the social and political history of alternative medicine. Its interdisciplinary essays provide valuable context that corrects simplified narratives about professionalization and public practice, making it good value for researchers and students who want documented history rather than popular health guidance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book cover specific healing traditions?
Yes, the volume includes discussions ranging from homeopathy to Navajo healing and other North American practices.

Is this a practical guide to alternative therapies?
No, this is a scholarly collection focused on historical and political analysis, not a how-to manual.

Who edited the collection?
Robert D. Johnston is credited as the editor responsible for assembling the essays in this volume.