Description
Book SynopsisRest Uneasy investigates the processes by which SIDS became both a discrete medical enigma and a source of social anxiety construed differently over time and according to varying perspectives. Brittany Cowgill chronicles and assesses Americans’ fraught but consequential efforts to explain and conquer SIDS.
Trade Review“
Rest Uneasy is an exceptionally well-written, thoroughly researched account of the identification and labeling of a medical problem and the consequences of those labels.” -- Kathleen Jones * Virginia Tech *
"Cowgill illuminates the fascinating and complex history of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in the twentieth century. Her careful and detailed analysis shows why this was more than a discrete medical problem or a private family tragedy and how its meaning and interpretation changed in light of both scientific studies and cultural changes." -- Janet Golden * author of Babies Made Us Modern: How Infants Brought Americans into the Twentieth Century *
"New Scholarly Books: Weekly Book List, June 8," by Nina C. Ayoub * Chronicle of Higher Education *
"Book Nook: Rest Uneasy - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Twentieth-Century America" Q&A with Brittany Cowgill * Motherhood Moment *
"Highly recommended." * Choice *
“
Rest Uneasy is an exceptionally well-written, thoroughly researched account of the identification and labeling of a medical problem and the consequences of those labels.” -- Kathleen Jones * Virginia Tech *
"Cowgill illuminates the fascinating and complex history of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in the twentieth century. Her careful and detailed analysis shows why this was more than a discrete medical problem or a private family tragedy and how its meaning and interpretation changed in light of both scientific studies and cultural changes." -- Janet Golden * author of Babies Made Us Modern: How Infants Brought Americans into the Twentieth Century *
"New Scholarly Books: Weekly Book List, June 8," by Nina C. Ayoub * Chronicle of Higher Education *
"Book Nook: Rest Uneasy - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Twentieth-Century America" QA with Brittany Cowgill * Motherhood Moment *
"Highly recommended." * Choice *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
- “Deaths of Infants in Bed”: The Historical Origins of SIDS
- Cause of Death: SIDS
- The Theory of the Month Club: Conducting Research on SIDS
- Risky Babies
- Mobilization: SIDS Activism
- Cause for Alarm
- Sleep Like a Baby
Conclusion: “The Disease of Theories”: Discovering SIDS
Acknowledgments
Index
