The Care of Strangers: The Rise of America's Hospital System

Name: The Care of Strangers: The Rise of America's Hospital System
Author: Charles E. Rosenberg

Charles E. Rosenberg

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Charles E. Rosenberg

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#2419 of 3,809 books · #796 in History

Shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize for History (1988).

The Care of Strangers traces the rise of America's hospital system from 1800 to modern times, examining how the hospital became accepted as the repository of medical knowledge and skills. The main factors that elevated the hospital to its present eminence include medical-technological advances, especially in surgery, differential diagnosis, and drugs; demographic changes, with cities far outpacing rural areas in population; the assertiveness of doctors in promoting the hospital as a source of professional status and education; the widespread emergence of patient private payment and health insurance; and the big expansion of federal subsidies for research and patient care. Throughout this account, Rosenberg tells the story of the hospital as a microcosm of American society, showing how that unique institution has always reflected the larger forces shaping American life, including authority, class relations, technology, and administration.

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