Victor Vaughan's career at the University of Michigan spanned more than four decades, beginning with his graduate studies in physiological chemistry during the 1870s and ending in 1921 with his retirement after three decades as dean of the medical school. Not only was he instrumental in modernizing medical training at Michigan, his work in areas of hygiene, epidemiology and the study of toxins and infectious disease was highly regarded on the national scene. Twice he was called upon to serve his country in times of crisis. During the Spanish-American War he was a key member of the Typhoid Commission which investigated the outbreak of the life-threatening fever among army recruits in southern camps. During World War I, he was a member of the medical board within the Council of National Defense which contended with an unprecedented influenza outbreak. Vaughan's professional work included more than 250 published papers and some 17 books, many outlining laboratory techniques that modernized the newly evolving field of bacteriology.

An acknowledged expert on the history of modern pharmacology and drug therapy, John Parascandola here brings together 19 of his most important papers on these subjects. The book is divided into three topical sections. In the first group of articles, devoted to pharmacological theory, Dr. Parascandola sheds new light on our understanding of the history of such key pharmacological concepts as receptor theory, structure-activity relationships, and the role of stereochemistry in physiological action. The second section focuses on the discipline of pharmacology and offers insights into the pivotal role played by John J. Abel in the shaping of the field, the development of pharmacology in schools of pharmacy and in the Federal Government, and the national pharmacological society's membership ban on pharmacologists working in industry. The final section on drug therapy discusses various drugs from antibiotics to sulfones, and their use in the treatment of diseases such as leprosy and syphilis.

This book examines the encounter between western and Asian models of public health and medicine in a range of East and Southeast Asian countries over the course of the twentieth century until now. It discusses the transfer of scientific knowledge of medicine and public health approaches from Europe and the United States to several Asian countries — Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, Taiwan, and China — and local interactions with, and transformations of, these public health models and approaches from the nineteenth century to the 1950s. Taking a critical look at assumptions about the objectiveness of science, the book highlights the use of scientific knowledge for political control, cultural manipulation, social transformation and economic needs. It rigorously and systematically investigates the historical developments of public health concepts, policies, institutions, and how these practices changed from colonial, to post-colonial and into the present day.