Old Age, New Science : Gerontologists and Their Biosocial Visions, 1900-1960.

Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. Envisioning Age in Experimental and Social Contexts -- Chapter 2. A Biosocial Vision and Textbooks in Starting a Multidisciplinary Science -- Chapter 3. Projecting Visions and Cultivating a Science in American Society -- Chapter 4. Calories, Aging, and Building a Biosocial Research Program -- Chapter 5. Senescence, Science, and Society in Great Britain -- Chapter 6. Growing Old and Biomedicine in the National Institutes of Health -- Epilogue -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.

This book focuses on the "biosocial visions" shared by early gerontologists in American and British science and culture from the early to mid-twentieth century who believed the phenomenon of aging was not just biological, but social in nature. Advancements in the life sciences, together with shifting perspectives on the state and future of the elderly in society, informed how gerontologists interacted with seniors, and how they defined successful aging. Park shows how these visions shaped popular discourses on aging, directly influenced the institutionalization of gerontology, and also reflected the class, gender, and race biases of their founders.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.