Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jul 2015

Power and Authority in Disease Maps

Candice A. Welhausen University of Delaware

Abstract

Medical cartography became an important data visualization tool in the 19th century. In this article, the author argues that early yellow fever maps invoked power and authority over diseased space through their visual conventions and scientific authority as statistical graphics as well as by visually reinforcing underlying Western ideologies about disease, illness, and health. Further, the creation of these maps established a visual precedent for invoking this authority that continues today. As public health continues to move toward a global health perspective in the 21st century, understanding how mapping constructs and shapes knowledge about disease, illness, and health will become increasingly important.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2015-07-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651915573942
Open Access
Closed
Topics
quantitative research multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (12)

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Cites in this index (2)

  1. Propen (2007)
    Visual Communication and the Map: How Maps as Visual Objects Convey Meaning in …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Kimball (2006)
    London through Rose-Colored Graphics: Visual Rhetoric and Information Graphic D…
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CrossRef global citation count: 26 View in citation network →

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