The Germ of Laziness: Rockefeller Philanthropy and Public Health in the New South

by John Ettling

This book chronicles the formation and five-year history of the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission for the Eradication of Hookworm Disease and its fight against the debilitating parasite, the germ of laziness, that, by the early years of the twentieth century, afflicted nearly 40 percent of our Southern population. The Sanitary Commission was not John D. Rockefellers first philanthropic venture, and certainly not his most ambitious; it was, however, one of his more interesting creations, later becoming the prototype for the Rockefeller Foundations early public health programs around the world. Ettling skillfully places this medical concern in the context of the history of public health and education and against the backdrop of American reform in the progressive years.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

275 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 1981

Reviews

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

rockefeller's hookworm eradication campaign in the american south is an amazing story in history. this is an amazing book chronicling said story.