The great exhibitions of the nineteenth century were organised to show the industrial and cultural progress of civilisation. Many historians of recent decades have made creative use of these well-documented and spectacular material surveys of modernity to explore a whole range of themes, and this has especially been the case among those interested in the history of science and technology. However, so far, comparatively few studies have analysed how issues related to medicine and health were articulated when the world was put on display. Julie K. Brown’s overview of the four major American expositions between 1876 and 1904 from this perspective is thus a very welcome contribution to the literature. Brown’s study is organised as a rather straightforward description and characterisation of how health and medicine were part of the consecutive exhibitions, both as organisational problems and as subjects to be displayed. She documents how health and medicine were concerns in the planning and building of the fairs. At least some medical services had to be provided on site to the many thousands of construction workers as well as to the millions of visitors. A whole range of sanitary issues had to be addressed when planning and building such massive infrastructures from scratch. Epidemics, both as fears and realities, were real threats to the economic success of these private enterprises. Furthermore, she provides a broad picture of what was displayed at each exposition and traces in some detail how many significant exhibits came about. There is no shortage of examples: companies producing medical instruments; teaching material or hospital equipment; governmental agencies overseeing or providing healthcare; and scores of private organisations involved in civic or municipal improvement, brought together in sections on ‘social economy’, were all competing for the visitors’ attention. The descriptions are based on meticulous archival research, primarily on the work of committees and exhibition organisers, and Brown also provides a rich selection of visual material: a large number of photographs, cartoons and construction drawings are reproduced, and thirty additional images are available on the publisher’s website. However, her commitment to the administrative records also structures the narrative of the events. By choosing an insider’s perspective, a lot of information on how politics, organisational struggles, and economic considerations which shaped each exhibition is brought to light. The detailed study of local concerns and circumstances also provides good insights on, for example, the reactions to the high rates of accidents during the construction phase, the difficulties for various organisations to co-operate on group exhibits, or the budget concerns when constructing working exhibits or commissioning models. Nevertheless, as a consequence of this chosen point of view, each part of the exhibitions is primarily described as the result of various constraints and compromises. Brown’s book is intended as a survey of what was available to see and learn at these four events, and it is described as a resource for scholars to pursue more specific analyses. There are indeed many aspects that she did not have the opportunity to develop in this study, for example, how exhibits were part of ideological, professional and scientific debates, or how visitors and reviewers interpreted them. While displays rarely lived up to initial plans or educational ideals, they were heavily invested with meaning, not least because the expositions had a particular status and reached huge crowds. Furthermore, her descriptions and interpretations are very much centred on American exhibits and discussions. The fact that these expositions were highly international and that many didactic ideals, as well as exemplary displays, were from abroad, are important contexts to take into account. This monograph is an important contribution to the literature and an excellent resource for all interested in how health and medicine were put on display for the general public in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It should inspire more historians of medicine to explore the rich archives and the expository culture generated by the great exhibitions.