{"product_id":"happy-pills-in-america-from-miltown-to-prozac-paperback","title":"Happy Pills in America: From Miltown to Prozac - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDavid Herzberg\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eValium. Paxil. Prozac. Prescribed by the millions each year, these medications have been hailed as wonder drugs and vilified as numbing and addictive crutches. Where did this \"blockbuster drug\" phenomenon come from? What factors led to the mass acceptance of tranquilizers and antidepressants? And how has their widespread use affected American culture? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavid Herzberg addresses these questions by tracing the rise of psychiatric medicines, from Miltown in the 1950s to Valium in the 1970s to Prozac in the 1990s. The result is more than a story of doctors and patients. From bare-knuckled marketing campaigns to political activism by feminists and antidrug warriors, the fate of psychopharmacology has been intimately wrapped up in the broader currents of modern American history. Beginning with the emergence of a medical marketplace for psychoactive drugs in the postwar consumer culture, Herzberg traces how \"happy pills\" became embroiled in Cold War gender battles and the explosive politics of the \"war against drugs\"--and how feminists brought the two issues together in a dramatic campaign against Valium addiction in the 1970s. A final look at antidepressants shows that even the Prozac phenomenon owed as much to commerce and culture as to scientific wizardry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith a barrage of \"ask your doctor about\" advertisements competing for attention with shocking news of drug company malfeasance, \u003ci\u003eHappy Pills\u003c\/i\u003e is an invaluable look at how the commercialization of medicine has transformed American culture since the end of World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavid Herzberg follows the rise of psychiatric medicines, from Miltown in the 1950s to Valium in the 1970s to Prozac in the 1990s. After a market for psychoactive drugs emerged in the postwar consumer culture, \"happy pills\" became embroiled in Cold War gender battles and the explosive politics of the \"war against drugs\". In a dramatic campaign against Valium addiction, feminists brought the two issues together in the 1970s. The Prozac phenomenon, too, owed as much to commerce and culture as to scientific achievement. \u003ci\u003eHappy Pills\u003c\/i\u003e is an invaluable look at how the commercialization of medicine has transformed American culture since the end of World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExcellent . . . stresses the dynamics of sex roles and social class that underlie the culture of psychotropic drug use.--\u003ci\u003eNew England Journal of Medicine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDraws attention to the important issue of happiness as an increasingly medicalized commodity in that context.--\u003ci\u003eBulletin of the History of Medicine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy placing human action at the heart of this culturally rich history, Herzberg has written a masterful account of the travels of 'happy pills' from Madison Avenue to your medicine cabinet.--\u003ci\u003eJournal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA brilliant book, rich and mind-bending . . . Unlike most others on the subject, \u003ci\u003eHappy Pills\u003c\/i\u003e seeks not to condemn or celebrate but to understand.--\u003ci\u003eBusiness History Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHerzberg eloquently guides us through the world of happy pills in post-World War II America . . . Engaging, insightful, and well researched.--\u003ci\u003eJournal of American History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eDavid Herzberg\u003c\/b\u003e is an assistant professor of history at the State University of New York at Buffalo.\u003c\/p\u003e--Lizabeth Cohen, author of \u003ci\u003eA Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America\u003c\/i\u003e \"Sociology of Health and Illness\"\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavid Herzberg follows the rise of psychiatric medicines, from Miltown in the 1950s to Valium in the 1970s to Prozac in the 1990s. After a market for psychoactive drugs emerged in the postwar consumer culture, \"happy pills\" became embroiled in Cold War gender battles and the explosive politics of the \"war against drugs\". In a dramatic campaign against Valium addiction, feminists brought the two issues together in the 1970s. The Prozac phenomenon, too, owed as much to commerce and culture as to scientific achievement. \u003ci\u003eHappy Pills\u003c\/i\u003e is an invaluable look at how the commercialization of medicine has transformed American culture since the end of World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Excellent . . . stresses the dynamics of sex roles and social class that underlie the culture of psychotropic drug use.\"--\u003ci\u003eNew England Journal of Medicine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Draws attention to the important issue of happiness as an increasingly medicalized commodity in that context.\"--\u003ci\u003eBulletin of the History of Medicine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"By placing human action at the heart of this culturally rich history, Herzberg has written a masterful account of the travels of 'happy pills' from Madison Avenue to your medicine cabinet.\"--\u003ci\u003eJournal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A brilliant book, rich and mind-bending . . . Unlike most others on the subject, \u003ci\u003eHappy Pills\u003c\/i\u003e seeks not to condemn or celebrate but to understand.\"--\u003ci\u003eBusiness History Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Herzberg eloquently guides us through the world of happy pills in post-World War II America . . . Engaging, insightful, and well researched.\"--\u003ci\u003eJournal of American History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Herzberg\u003c\/b\u003e is an assistant professor of history at the State University of New York at Buffalo.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Herzberg\u003c\/b\u003e is an assistant professor of history at the State University of New York at Buffalo.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 296\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 16, 2010\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47451624210610,"sku":"9780801898143","price":64.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/bed073941956f773f86c4233a9e42232.webp?v=1778798331","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/happy-pills-in-america-from-miltown-to-prozac-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}