# Reforms to Human Health

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/a-journey-into-human-history-6372765/reforms-to-human-health
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/a-journey-into-human-history-6372765/reforms-to-human-health.md
Podcast: [A Journey into Human History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/a-journey-into-human-history-6372765)
Published: 2026-04-27T17:00:02+00:00
Episode link: https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/13-3-reforms-to-human-health
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69234191/1766965659510_voicemaker_in_speech.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/a-journey-into-human-history-6372765/episodes/reforms-to-human-health
Duration seconds: 690

## Resource

Reformers targeted vices that corrupted the human body and society: the individual and the national soul. For many, alcohol appeared to be the most destructive and widespread. Indeed, in the years before the Civil War, the United States appeared to be a republic of drunkenness to many. To combat this national substance abuse problem, reformers created a host of temperance organizations that first targeted the middle and upper classes, and then the working classes. Thanks to Sylvester Graham and other health reformers, exercise and fresh air, combined with a good diet, became fashionable. Phrenologists focused on revealing the secrets of the mind and personality. In a fast-paced world, phrenology offered the possibility of knowing different human characteristics. All images referenced in this podcast can be found at https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/13-3-reforms-to-human-health Welcome to A Journey into Human History. This podcast will attempt to tell the whole human story. The content contained in this podcast was produced by OpenStax and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Access for free at https://openstax.org/details/books/us-history Podcast produced by Miranda Casturo as a Creative Common Sense production. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/a-journey-into-human-history--5860966/support .

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## Transcript

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