| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 109.2

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to the AHR online. About 185 words from this article are provided below; about 615 words remain.

If you are a individual member of the American Historical Association, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time. AHA members can go to the AHA individual membership section to locate their member numbers.
If you are not a member of the American Historical Association, you can:: • Join the AHA and receive many member benefits including print and electronic issues of the American Historical Review.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the American Historical Review (104.3-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the American Historical Review.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 109.2 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Comparative/World

Philippa Levine. Prostitution, Race, and Politics: Policing Venereal Disease in the British Empire. New York: Routledge. 2003. Pp. ix, 480. Cloth $95.00, paper $25.00.

Until now, the majority of those who have written on matters relating to prostitution and venereal disease in imperial contexts have confined their attentions to a single colony. This is the first book to attempt any kind of systematic comparison, embracing India, the Straits Settlements, Hong Kong, and Queensland. Philippa Levine's ambitious attempt to consider the empire as an interconnected whole is to be applauded. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, she establishes that colonial states viewed the control of venereal disease as a major issue, not only because such diseases undermined the efficiency of soldiers and workers but also because sexual contact between people of different races threatened to destabilize the dichotomies upon which the imperial system was built. While this was a constant theme in imperial administration, the problem of venereal disease and mechanisms for its control differed significantly in the four colonies, depending on such factors as trade, security, and immigration.

. . .

There are about 615 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.