Disease and Democracy: The Industrialized World Faces AIDS (California/Milbank Books on Health and the Public)

California/Milbank Books on Health and the Public

by Peter Baldwin

Disease and Democracy is the first comparative analysis of how Western democratic nations have coped with AIDS. Peter Baldwin's exploration of divergent approaches to the epidemic in the United States and several European nations is a springboard for a wide-ranging and sophisticated historical analysis of public health practices and policies. In addition to his comprehensive presentation of information on approaches to AIDS, Baldwin's authoritative book provides a new perspective on our most enduring political how to reconcile individual liberty with the safety of the community.

Baldwin finds that Western democratic nations have adopted much more varied approaches to AIDS than is commonly recognized. He situates the range of responses to AIDS within the span of past attempts to control contagious disease and discovers the crucial role that history has played in developing these various approaches. Baldwin finds that the various tactics adopted to fight AIDS have sprung largely from those adopted against the classic epidemic diseases of the nineteenth century―especially cholera―and that they reflect the long institutional memories embodied in public health institutions.

Genres: Nonfiction

478 pages, Paperback

First published April 16, 2005

Reviews

[f · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Buch fängt spannend an. Baldwin fragt, warum westliche Industriestaaten so unterschiedlich auf Aids reagiert hätten und nennt schon früh historische Pfadabhängigkeiten als eine wesentliche Erklärung. Im Laufe des Buchs erscheinen die Unterschiede weniger ausgeprägt als behauptet und damit die Pfadabhängigkeit, die für Baldwin ins 19. Jahrhundert und die Reaktionen auf die Cholera zurückreicht, kaum bedeutsam. Die Frage nach Pfadabhängigkeiten scheint mir dennoch bemerkenswert und gerade angesichts der Corona-Pandemie stellt sich die Frage, welche Weichenstellungen Ausbreitung und Reaktionen auf Pandemien bestimmten. Wie schon zu Zeiten von Aids sind die USA besonders betroffen und wieder scheint die US-Regierung nicht auf eine Ausweitung allgemeiner Krankenversicherung zu setzen, sondern darauf mit besonders viel Geld in die Forschung die Epidemie zu bekämpfen. Die Pfadabhängigkeiten scheinen aber weniger in spezifischen Entscheidungen zur Seuchenbekämpfung als in grundsätzlichen gesellschaftlichen Weichenstellungen in Bezug auf Wohlfahrt etc. zu liegen.

[laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed, well-researched, and generally well-argued. Could really have done with some more structure, though, as it veered into repetitiveness at points, and some swathes of information had unclear relevance to the overall argument.

The argument itself was that Western countries’ experience of epidemics in the 19th century influenced their responses to the AIDS epidemic — that countries generally took a similar approach along the spectrum from a more liberal/laissez-faire/individualistic response to one that was more traditionally quarantinist/coercive/restrictive/communal. Baldwin focuses on the USA, the UK, Germany, France and Sweden. He acknowledges that most of Germany (cf. Bavaria) breaks the pattern, but the other countries generally fit.

As with many such arguments, this one is made on the selectively and only partially. But this was relatively original, and well-written and interesting, study of public health policy. Overall a decent source and an enjoyable read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough account of the clash that AIDS provoked between Public Health (an inherently fascist discipline) and Public Policy (which sacrifices at the alter of the voter).

Densely written and overtly academic in tone, this interesting book has a sub-text riddled with irony and humour.