Exploring the dangerous trades: The autobiography of Alice Hamilton, M.D

by Alice Hamilton

This revealing autobiography by a remarkable forerunner of the industrial hygiene movement is now available through AIHA. Occupational medicine pioneer Alice Hamilton tells in her own words how she helped change history and the reasons for her unprecedented success in what was truly a male-dominated profession.

Dr. Hamilton, in whose name AIHA recently established an annual achievement award, was a leading authority on lead poisoning and other industrial hygiene concerns years before AIHA was even formed. But this book is more than just a narrative of her accomplishments in ocupational medicine; it provides insight into her personality, her humor, her beliefs and, most important, her determination to make the world a better place.

Years after her death, Alice Hamilton's story remains as poignant as ever.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medical, Memoir

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

[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.