Judith Walzer Leavitt
Encyclopedia
Judith Walzer Leavitt is an American historian.
She was the Rupple Bascom and Ruth Bleier Professor of History of Medicine
, History of Science
, and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. Her book subjects have included a study of Mary Mallon
, a history of childbirth
in America, and a history of public health
in Milwaukee. She is the wife of Waisman Center medical director Lewis Leavitt
and the sister of political theorist Michael Walzer
.
She is a past president of the American Association for the History of Medicine, and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. Leavitt received her B.A. from Antioch College
in 1963, and her a M.A.T., M.A. and PhD in history from the University of Chicago
in 1975.
and the sister of political theorist Michael Walzer
.
She was the Rupple Bascom and Ruth Bleier Professor of History of Medicine
History 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...
, History of Science
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
, and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. Her book subjects have included a study of Mary Mallon
Mary Mallon
Mary Mallon , also known as Typhoid Mary, was the first person in the United States identified as an asymptomatic carrier of the pathogen associated with typhoid fever. She was presumed to have infected some 53 people, three of whom died, over the course of her career as a cook...
, a history of childbirth
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
in America, and a history of 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...
in Milwaukee. She is the wife of Waisman Center medical director Lewis Leavitt
Lewis Leavitt
Lewis A. Leavitt is Medical Director of the Waisman Center on Human Development at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine...
and the sister of political theorist Michael Walzer
Michael Walzer
Michael Walzer is a prominent American political philosopher and public intellectual. A professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, he is co-editor of Dissent, an intellectual magazine that he has been affiliated with since his years as an undergraduate at...
.
She is a past president of the American Association for the History of Medicine, and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. Leavitt received her B.A. from Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
in 1963, and her a M.A.T., M.A. and PhD in history from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1975.
Published works
- "Strange young women on errands, obstetric nursing between two worlds", Nursing History Review, 6(1998): 3-24.
- Women and Health in America: Historical Readings. Second revised edition, ed. Leavitt J.W. (Madison: University of Wisconsin PressUniversity of Wisconsin PressThe University of Wisconsin Press is a non-profit university press publishing peer-reviewed books and journals. It primarily publishes work by scholars from the global academic community but also serves the citizens of Wisconsin by publishing important books about Wisconsin, the Upper Midwest, and...
, 1999). - Leavitt JW, Numbers RL, eds. Sickness and Health in America: Readings in the History of Medicine and Public Health (Third Edition. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1997).
- "Gendered expectations: Women and early twentieth century public health." In: U.S. History as Women's History: New Feminist Essays, eds. Kerber L, Kesslar-Harris A, Sklar K.K. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1995).
- Typhoid Mary: Captive to the Public's Health, (Beacon Press, 1997).
- "A worrying profession: The domestic environment of medicalpractice in the mid-nineteenth century." Garrison Lecture, Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 1995;69: 1-29.
- Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America 1750-1950, (Oxford University Press, 1986).
- The Healthiest City : Milwaukee and the politics of health reform, (Princeton University Press, 1982).
- Ronald L. Numbers and Judith Walzer Leavitt, eds. Wisconsin Medicine: Historical Perspectives (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1981).
- Guenter B. Risse, Ronald L. Numbers, and Judith Walzer Leavitt, eds. Medicine without Doctors: Home Health Care in American History (New York: Science History Publications, 1977).
Personal life
Leavitt is the wife of Waisman Center medical director Lewis LeavittLewis Leavitt
Lewis A. Leavitt is Medical Director of the Waisman Center on Human Development at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine...
and the sister of political theorist Michael Walzer
Michael Walzer
Michael Walzer is a prominent American political philosopher and public intellectual. A professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, he is co-editor of Dissent, an intellectual magazine that he has been affiliated with since his years as an undergraduate at...
.