The nervous and allergic child : food allergy and behavioural problems in mid-twentieth-century USA

Smith, Matthew (2017) The nervous and allergic child : food allergy and behavioural problems in mid-twentieth-century USA. History and Philosophy of Psychology, 18 (1). pp. 3-12. ISSN 1469-283X

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Abstract

Imagine the scenario: it is 1950 and you are the American parent of a child who is suffering from unexplained chronic symptoms, possibly skin eruptions, asthma, gastrointestinal complaints, or maybe even behavioural problems. Having sought medical advice for your unhappy child, two very different trajectories of diagnosis and treatment would have been offered, depending on the background and outlook of the physician with whom you consulted.