Publishing the Disease Concept
Published by Hillhouse Press, the publisher of the Yale Center of Alcohol Studies, on behalf of the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation in 1960, E. M. Jellinek’s seminal book, The disease concept of alcoholism, remains a cornerstone in the field. Called "the most widely cited (and least read) literary artifact of the modern alcoholism movement” by alcohol historian William White, the book continues to shape discussions around the etiology, treatment, prevention, and language of alcohol and substance use disorders. Scholarly and public responses have ranged from harsh criticism to enthusiastic endorsement, and calling alcoholism the "Jellinek disease," the English language had also cast its vote. Mark Keller, as publisher and editor, played a pivotal role in shaping the book’s final form.
The first edition, published in 1960
Copyright
The copyright registration of the book attributes The disease concept of alcoholism, by E. M. Jellinek to Hillhouse Press with the address 432 Temple Street, New Haven, CT. Hillhouse Press, Keller's invention, was the publisher of many publications related to the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol (QJSA) at the Yale University Center of Alcohol Studies. The Center, for all of its moves and name changes, still publishes a scholarly journal, QJSA successor, now called the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, at the Rutgers Center of Alcohol and Substance Use Studies, published by Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc., a not-for-profit organization affiliated with Rutgers University.
According to the promotional flyer, that the book was available from the Publications Division of the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies after the Center moved from Yale to Rutgers in 1962. The copyright statement in the Japanese edition, published in 1973, attributes the rights to Hillhouse Press, New Brunswick, NJ.
The Japanese edition, published in 1973
Promoting the book at Rutgers
The promotional flyer shows that the book was available from the Publications Division of the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies after the Center moved from Yale to Rutgers in 1962.
Language
In addition to the Yale Plan posters proclaiming alcoholism a disease in 1950, the title of Jellinek’s book—changed from “conception” to “concept,” according to archival documents—played a notable role in shaping public acceptance of alcoholism as a disease, whether or not the book itself deserves full credit. It’s a case similar to what was pointed out by Ernest Kurtz in Alcoholics Anonymous and the Disease Concept of Alcoholism, i.e., A. A. neither originated nor promulgated the disease concept of alcoholism. Nevertheless, Jellinek and his colleagues at Yale were pioneers in developing a vocabulary for alcohol research, including efforts to define alcoholism itself.
To illustrate this distinction in his own words, Jellinek states in the Introduction:
"Alcoholism is a concept, so is disease. But that alcoholism is a disease is a viewpoint and thus a conception. Nevertheless, I have bowed to the prevalent usage."
More than fifteen years later, Keller revisits the disease concept of alcoholism in an article published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol in 1976. Drawing on his deep interest in the history of alcohol studies, Keller traced the evolution of viewing alcoholism as a disease. His scholarship underscores that this perspective is far from a modern invention or a public relations "gimmick" of the 1940s alcoholism movement. As Keller notes, even Jellinek referred to it as a "renewed" rather than a novel approach. Keller systematically addresses and refutes objections from various quarters—including antipsychiatry, critiques of the medical model, concerns about irresponsibility, labeling, stigma, inconsistent symptoms, and uncertain etiology—ultimately affirming that alcoholism is indeed a disease.
--Adapted from Keller, M. (1976). The disease concept of alcoholism revisited. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 37(11), 1694-1717.
Promotional flyer: The Yale Plan posters
The letter-size flyer shows all twelve posters of the series prepared by the Section of Studies on Alcohol, Yale University, in 1950. The language clearly indicates their viewpoint.
Correspondence and further research
In a letter dated November 4, 1960 that Jellinek sent to the book’s editor and publisher Mark Keller, the author expresses his satisfaction with the publication, calling it "handsome," and he suggests promotion ideas in the hope of successful sales. From the letter, we can find out that Jellinek's honorarium was $300, which, as he noted, "came in very very handy." It saddens the 21st-century reader to find that one of the greatest minds in alcohol studies was facing financial difficulties in the last few years of his career.
A quote from United Printing Services, Inc. to Hillhouse Press, attn. Mark Keller, on The Disease Conception (sic!) of "Alcoholism" by Dr. E. L. Jellinek (sic!) re-estimating the cost based on the revised specifications to follow the style of the Journal of Alcohol Studies (sic!). The correspondence, preserved in the Mark Keller Papers, is available in the Keller Papers and partly online.
Jellinek in the 1960s