Howard Markel
Encyclopedia
Howard Markel is an American
medical historian
, and a distinguished professor
and Director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan
. He is frequently asked to comment on medical issues in the news.
in 1960, and he grew up in the towns of Oak Park
and Southfield, Michigan
. He graduated from Southfield-Lathrup High School
, in Lathrup Village, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan
with an A.B. in English Literature, summa cum laude in 1982, and an M.D., cum laude, in 1986. He had his internship, residency, and a fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 1986 to 1991, and also earned his Ph.D. in the History of Science, Medicine and Technology, from Johns Hopkins in 1994. He returned to the University of Michigan in 1993, this time as a faculty member, first as an assistant professor, then associate professor, and full professor in 2002. He received a "named chair" in 2000.
He was a scholar in residence at the New York Public Library
from 1999 to 2000. He also served as a historical consultant on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Planning for the United States Department of Defense
in 2005 and 2005. Since 2006, he has served as a historical consultant for the United States Department of Health and Human Services
's Center
on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Planning.
Markel is currently the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine and Director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, and holds concurrent appointments as a professor in the departments of Psychiatry
, Public Health
, History
and Pediatrics
.
, epidemiology
, pediatrics
, and the history of epidemics and quarantine
.
Markel is the author, co-author, or co-editor of ten books, including Quarantine!: East European Jewish Immigrants and the New York City Epidemics of 1892, When Germs Travel: Six Major Epidemics That Have Invaded America Since 1900 and the Fears They Have Unleashed, and An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine.
He was a columnist for The Journal of the American Medical Association from 2007 through 2011.
Since 2010, Markel has been a regular contributor for National Public Radio’s Science Friday, where his monthly segment, “Science Diction,” discusses the history, evolution and meaning of scientific words.
Markel and his colleagues coined the phrase "protective sequestration
" to describe the situation in public health
of measures taken to protect a small, defined, and still-healthy population from an epidemic
(or pandemic
) before the infection
reaches that population.
Alexandra Minna Stern and Markel described how the observation that milkmaid
s lacked the "pockmarked" complexion, common to smallpox
survivors, led to the development of the first vaccine
by purposeful injection with cowpox
.
Markel has written on the history of how endemic goiters were eliminated, specifically through the development by David Murray Cowie
of iodized salt. He has written hundreds of other articles, essays, and scholarly papers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
medical historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and a distinguished professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and Director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He is frequently asked to comment on medical issues in the news.
Early life, education, and career
Markel was born in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
in 1960, and he grew up in the towns of Oak Park
Oak Park, Michigan
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,793 people, 11,104 households, and 7,595 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,863.8 persons per square mile . There were 11,370 housing units at an average density of 2,263.9 per square mile...
and Southfield, Michigan
Southfield, Michigan
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...
. He graduated from Southfield-Lathrup High School
Southfield-Lathrup High School
Southfield-Lathrup High School is a senior high school in Lathrup Village, Michigan, United States. It is the second oldest of three high schools in the Southfield Public Schools district, the oldest being Southfield High School, and the youngest being University High School...
, in Lathrup Village, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
with an A.B. in English Literature, summa cum laude in 1982, and an M.D., cum laude, in 1986. He had his internship, residency, and a fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 1986 to 1991, and also earned his Ph.D. in the History of Science, Medicine and Technology, from Johns Hopkins in 1994. He returned to the University of Michigan in 1993, this time as a faculty member, first as an assistant professor, then associate professor, and full professor in 2002. He received a "named chair" in 2000.
He was a scholar in residence at the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
from 1999 to 2000. He also served as a historical consultant on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Planning for the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
in 2005 and 2005. Since 2006, he has served as a historical consultant for the United States Department of Health and Human Services
United States Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
's Center
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Planning.
Markel is currently the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine and Director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, and holds concurrent appointments as a professor in the departments of Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, Public Health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and Pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
.
Scholarship
Markel is an expert in the history of medicineHistory of medicine
All human societies have medical beliefs that provide explanations for birth, death, and disease. Throughout history, illness has been attributed to witchcraft, demons, astral influence, or the will of the gods...
, epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
, pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
, and the history of epidemics and quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
.
Markel is the author, co-author, or co-editor of ten books, including Quarantine!: East European Jewish Immigrants and the New York City Epidemics of 1892, When Germs Travel: Six Major Epidemics That Have Invaded America Since 1900 and the Fears They Have Unleashed, and An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine.
He was a columnist for The Journal of the American Medical Association from 2007 through 2011.
Since 2010, Markel has been a regular contributor for National Public Radio’s Science Friday, where his monthly segment, “Science Diction,” discusses the history, evolution and meaning of scientific words.
Markel and his colleagues coined the phrase "protective sequestration
Protective sequestration
Protective sequestration is a public health term that refers to measures taken to protect a small, defined, and still-healthy population from an epidemic before the infection reaches that population....
" to describe the situation in public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
of measures taken to protect a small, defined, and still-healthy population from an epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
(or pandemic
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
) before the infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
reaches that population.
Alexandra Minna Stern and Markel described how the observation that milkmaid
Milkmaid
A milkmaid is a girl or woman employed to milk dairy cows. She also used the milk to prepare dairy products such as cream, butter, and cheese...
s lacked the "pockmarked" complexion, common to smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
survivors, led to the development of the first vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
by purposeful injection with cowpox
Cowpox
Cowpox is a skin disease caused by a virus known as the Cowpox virus. The pox is related to the vaccinia virus and got its name from the distribution of the disease when dairymaids touched the udders of infected cows. The ailment manifests itself in the form of red blisters and is transmitted by...
.
Markel has written on the history of how endemic goiters were eliminated, specifically through the development by David Murray Cowie
David Murray Cowie
David Murray Cowie pioneered the salt iodation process in the U.S. A professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan, Cowie was concerned about the widespread problem of goiter in Michigan ....
of iodized salt. He has written hundreds of other articles, essays, and scholarly papers.