Judith Walzer Leavitt (born July 22, 1940) is an American historian. She was the Rupple Bascom and Ruth Bleier Professor of

History of Medicine The history of medicine is both a study of medicine throughout history as well as a multidisciplinary field of study that seeks to explore and understand medical practices, both past and present, throughout human societies. More than just histo ...

, History of Science, and

Women's Studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

. Her book subjects have included a study of

Mary Mallon Mary Mallon (September 23, 1869 – November 11, 1938), commonly known as Typhoid Mary, was an Irish-born American cook believed to have infected between 51 and 122 people with typhoid fever. The infections caused three confirmed deaths, ...

, a history of

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births glob ...

in America, and a history of

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

. She is the wife of Waisman Center medical director Lewis Leavitt, as well as the sister of political theorist Michael Walzer. She is a past president of the American Association for the History of Medicine, and an elected member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

. Leavitt received her B.A. from

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its ...

in 1963, and her M.A.T., M.A., and PhD in history from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

in 1975.

Published works

* ''Make Room for Daddy: The Journey from Waiting Room to Birthing Room'' (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009). * "Strange young women on errands, obstetric nursing between two worlds", ''Nursing History Review'', 6(1998): 3-24. * ''Women and Health in America: Historical Readings''. Second revised edition, ed. Leavitt J.W. (Madison:

University of Wisconsin Press The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a non-profit university press publishing peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic community; works of fiction, memoir and p ...

, 1999). * Leavitt JW, Numbers RL, eds. ''Sickness and Health in America: Readings in the History of Medicine and Public Health'' (Third Edition. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1997). * "Gendered expectations: Women and early twentieth century public health". In: U.S. History as Women's History: New Feminist Essays, eds. Kerber L, Kesslar-Harris A, Sklar K.K. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1995). * ''Typhoid Mary: Captive to the Public's Health'', (Beacon Press, 1997). * "A worrying profession: The domestic environment of medical practice in the mid-nineteenth century". Garrison Lecture, ''Bulletin of the History of Medicine'', 1995;69: 1-29. * ''Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America 1750-1950'', (Oxford University Press, 1986). * ''The Healthiest City : Milwaukee and the politics of health reform'', (Princeton University Press, 1982). * Ronald L. Numbers and Judith Walzer Leavitt, eds. ''Wisconsin Medicine: Historical Perspectives'' (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1981). * Guenter B. Risse, Ronald L. Numbers, and Judith Walzer Leavitt, eds. ''Medicine without Doctors: Home Health Care in American History'' (New York: Science History Publications, 1977).

References

External links

Academic homepage, Department of History of Medicine and Bioethics

Academic homepage, Department of the History of Science

* 1940 births Living people 21st-century American historians American historians of science University of Chicago alumni Jewish American historians University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty American women historians Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American Jews Michael Walzer {{US-sci-historian-stub