Almost worthy : the poor, paupers, and the science of charity in America, 1877-1917 / Brent Ruswick.

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, [2013], ©2013.

xi, 267 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Introduction: Big Moll and the science of scientific charity -- "Armies of vice": evolution, heredity, and the pauper menace -- Friendly visitors or scientific investigators? Befriending and measuring the poor -- Opposition, depression, and the rejection of pauperism -- "I see no terrible army": environmental reform and radicalism in the scientific charity movement -- The potentially normal poor: professional social work, psychology, and the end of scientific charity.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-257) and index.