Early detection
Subtitle: women, cancer, and awareness campaigns in the twentieth-century United States
By: Kirsten E. Gardner.
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Chapel Hill
Language: eng
Number of pages: 283
ISBN-13: 9780807830147; 9780807856826; 9780807877128
Subjects: Cancer in women -- Social aspects -- History -- 20th century.; Cancer in women -- Political aspects -- History -- 20th century.
Description: Dispelling the common notion that American female cancer activism is a post-1970s phenomenon, the author traces women's cancer education campaigns back to the early twentieth century. Focusing on breast cancer, but using research on cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers as well, Gardner's examination of films, publications, health fairs, and archival materials shows that women have promoted early cancer detection since the inception of the American Society for the Control of Cancer in 1913. While informing female audiences about cancer risks, these early activists also laid the groundwork for the political advocacy and patient empowerment movements of recent decades. Our understanding of today's vibrant feminist health movement is enriched by Gardner's work recognizing women's roles in grassroots educational programs throughout the twentieth century and their creation of supportive networks that endure today.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Look cancer straight in the face: public discussions of women's cancers in the early twentieth century; title: Expanding networks of women: the Amanda Sims Memorial Fund and the Women's Field Army; title: From awareness to screening: early detection redefined; title: Cancer survivors: public discussions of postdiagnostic concerns; title: Screening technology, feminist health movement, cancer critics.