Whitman and the romance of medicine
By: Robert Leigh Davis.
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Berkeley
Language: eng
Number of pages: 190
Subjects: Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892 -- Knowledge -- Medicine.; Literature and medicine -- United States -- History -- 19th century.; Medicine -- United States -- History -- 19th century.; Poets, American -- 19th century -- Biography.; Medicine in literature.; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Medical care.
Description: In this powerful examination of one of America's greatest cultural and literary figures, Robert Leigh Davis details the literary and social significance of Walt Whitman's career as a nurse during the American Civil War. Davis shows how the concept of "convalescence" in nineteenth century medicine and philosophy - along with Whitman's personal war experiences - provides a crucial point of convergence for Whitman's work as a gay and democratic writer.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-181) and index.