Exploring the Dangerous Trades: The Autobiography of Alice Hamilton, M.D.

by Alice Hamilton

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medical, Memoir, Biography

433 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 1942

About the author

People know American physician Alice Hamilton for her work in occupational medicine and her book Industrial Poisons in the United States (1925).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_H...

Reviews

[Georgia H. · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

Exploring the Dangerous Trades by Alice Hamilton is essentially the origin story of industrial hygiene as told by one of its pioneers, and for me it became part of my own introduction to the profession. 🧪📚

I read this many years ago, early enough in my scientific career that it helped shape how I thought about the field of industrial hygiene. I had first become aware of the field while working as a toll collector in college, after watching an industrial hygienist perform air monitoring. Someone suggested Hamilton’s autobiography to me, and not long afterward I went on to pursue a master’s degree in public health. Looking back, it is easy to see why the book made an impression. Hamilton investigated chemical exposures and occupational disease at a time when the field was still developing and many of the protections we now take for granted simply did not exist.

What stands out most to me now is that she did all of this as a woman working in a profession dominated by men. Science and engineering fields can still be male-dominated today, and seeing some of the issues that remain, I can hardly imagine what Hamilton had to navigate in her time. Her persistence, curiosity, fieldwork, and willingness to ask uncomfortable questions feel very familiar to the work industrial hygienists still do today. I read the book a long time ago, so the specific investigations have faded more than the overall impact, but Hamilton’s role in shaping the profession absolutely has not. Other books that were similarly impactful for me were The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr.

[Mariah Oleszkowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful surprise of a book. The title sounds dry and boring but honestly, I couldn't put it down. She went to UofM medical school in 1892ish, summered on Mackinac Island, studied medicine in Germany in 1895, and lived in Hull House at the turn of the century. Her descriptions of everything are beautiful (and succinct). When she goes through each of the dangerous trades, you get a sense of her personality and the personality of the country. She had the opportunity to travel to occupied Belgium in 1915, Russia in 1924, Germany multiple times, most notably in 1933 and 1938. Her descriptions are poignant.

Of Germany in 1933: "In Hitler's Germany there was neither gayety nor kindliness, and not even the most rudimentary function of government, the protection of the weak against unauthorized violence." p363

She highlights how nationalism and government intrusion into religious beliefs are dangerous. But she truly believes the human condition continues to improve and we never fall so far as we were before.

This is a GREAT book. Highly recommend it to anyone interested in how the Dept of labor was formed and the investigative medicine that was required to show industrial harm. Also recommend to anyone interested in the great political revolutions of the 20th century.

[Janel Schiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing woman!

This is about an amazing woman who is the pioneer for my profession, Industrial Hygiene. She writes of her life and what a life it was! I'm so amazed by her charm, her intelligence, and her work.

I just wish her e-book was given more care because there are so many typos! But I suppose it is not surprising that the memoir of a woman is treated with disdain. Sad. But typical. If the people releasing this e-book wanted to show the slightest bit of respect for a woman whose work has improved the lives workers across the generations, the least they could do was proof read the e-book before releasing it. But you take what you can get when trying to read the works of women written by their own hand. I suppose it's a minor miracle that this work became an e-book at all.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book. Talks all about my field of industrial hygiene and is such an inspiring women. Crazy to see all the similarities between union Busting in the late early 1900’s and now.