50 Health Scares That Fizzled [Hardcover]

This engaging, nontechnical book discusses 50 health scares that captured the public's attention before fading away, covering real and perceived health threats from long-ago eras to present times.

Despite the benefits of advanced technology and modern safety mechanisms, the world around us seems to grow ever more dangerous and fraught with hidden risks. Even in the information age, it is challenging to discern factual, scientific information from sensationalized accounts in the media, urban legends, or unsubstantiated Internet lore.

In50 Health Scares That Fizzled, award-winning author and researcher Joan R. Callahan examines 50 health scares in 7 distinct categories: medical interventions, infectious diseases, food scares, additives in foods or beverages, other biological hazards, chemical or radiological exposures, and lifestyle choices. With great wit and a light tone, Dr. Callahan alleviates readers' concerns and deftly explains the complex issues, making the subject matter approachable.

Joan R. Callahan, PhD, holds her doctorate degree in zoology from the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. She has worked as a researcher and consultant for over 30 years.This is a useful book for public and consumer-health library collections. Students will find a good starting point for reports here. Booklist

Introduction
Part One: Medical Interventions
1 Measles Vaccine and Autism
2 Hepatitis B Vaccine and Multiple Sclerosis
3 Fear of Menopause and HRT
4 The DES Generation
5 Aspirin and Reye's Syndrome
Part Two: Infectious Diseases
6 Fear of Lyme Disease
7 Swine Flu 1976
8 Swine Flu 2009
9 Ebola Reston 1989
10 The Second War on Smallpox
11 Fear of Flesh-Eating Bacteria
12 Monkeypox 2003
Part Three: Food Scares
13 Fear of Canned Food
14 Potatoes and Birth Defects
15 Fear of Oleomargarine
16 Fear of Tomatoes
17 Fear of Watercress
18 Fear of Beef
19 Coca-Cola anlCœ