Reconstructing Bodies

"Reconstructing Bodies is a welcome addition to the growing scholarship on medicine and the body in East Asia. It is the first full-length monograph of Korea's post-1945 medical history in the English language and would appeal to readers with interests in Korea's political or medical history as well as interests in American medicine, reproductive politics, and the plastic surgery specialization. DiMoia draws from a rich variety of previously untapped sources, including oral histories, private papers, and archives from the U.S. military occupation and international aid organizations."—Sonja M. Kim, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences

"Reconstructing Bodies offers the best view to date of the intersection between South Korea's twentieth-century development and its medical transformation. Its far-ranging case studies of individual topics are important genealogical resources for those interested in contemporary South Korean (and indeed transnational) medicine and biopolitics."—Robert Oppenheim, Associate Professor of Asian Studies and Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin

"Reconstructing Bodies is a pioneering work of scholarship at the intersection of East Asian history and the history of science and medicine. DiMoia negotiates both fields with great skill and acute insight, revealing that South Korea's 'economic miracle' was also a history of changing attitudes toward, and interventions on, the health and bodies of Koreans."—Charles K. Armstrong, Columbia University

"Reconstructing Bodies breaks new ground in the history of public health, biomedicine, and surgery in modern South Korea. Illuminating case studies guide readers through major transformations in twentieth-century Korean history, including advancements in cardiac surgery, Asian Blepharoplasty, the shift from controlling epidemics to family planning, and biological sampling resistance during anti-parasitic campaigns."—Marta Hanson, Johns Hopkins University