At the end of the Second World War, a diagnosis of cancer was a death sentence. Sixty years later, it is considered a chronic disease rather than one that is invariably fatal. Although survival rates have improved, the very word continues to evoke a special terror and guilt, inspiring scientists and politicians to wage war against it.

In Under the Radar, Ellen Leopold shows how nearly every aspect of our understanding and discussion of cancer bears the imprint of its Cold War entanglement. The current biases toward individual rather than corporate responsibility for rising...

Ellen Leopold's unique collection of essays over a 20-year period illustrates important shifts in the medical and social history of breast cancer. She skillfully threads her way through the writings and ground-breaking work of women who helped to change our perspective on the disease. The earliest of these pioneers is Katharine Lee Bates, lyricist of "America the Beautiful." Her early memoir chronicling the death of a loved one from breast cancer in 1915 is reproduced here and set in its historical context. The contributions of other women follow, including those of Janet Lane-Claypon, an...