Raymond G. McCarthy: Architect of Alcohol Education in the Twentieth Century
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Judit H Ward1, William Bejarano2, Nicholas Allred3
1Rutgers University Libraries, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4196-4653.
Objective:
Drawing on the recently updated bibliography of Raymond G. McCarthy (1901-1964), this article adds to the history of the addiction science infrastructure by examining McCarthy's contributions to alcohol studies, particularly the institutions he founded and the precedent he set for translating alcohol research into education and public policy.
Method:
Newly discovered resources in the Rutgers Alcohol Studies Archives were identified and analyzed to produce the most comprehensive bibliography of McCarthy's work to date. This bibliography served as the primary source for a biographical and bibliographic analysis of his contributions to addiction science, alcohol education, and public health from the mid-1940s through the mid-1960s.
Results:
McCarthy's bibliography documents a career that bridged research, education, public health, and policy. His books, articles, reports, pamphlets, films, and conference presentations demonstrate innovative approaches to communicating research findings and translating scientific knowledge into education, practice, and public policy. Collectively, these works reflect a consistent understanding of alcohol use and its broader social consequences, and they confirm his central role in shaping alcohol education.
Conclusions:
McCarthy's career reveals the dynamic relationship between addiction research, alcohol education, and prevention. By developing instructional resources, educator training, and evidence-informed prevention strategies, he helped define alcohol education as a distinct field while positioning it as an essential component of alcohol studies. What emerges from this review is McCarthy's seminal role in building key parts of the addiction science infrastructure that was to be replicated throughout the USA in response to the alcohol and drug use epidemics that emerged during the 1960s and 1970s.
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