Medicine Woman: The Story of Early-American Women Doctors

Medicine Women is a chronicle of the times and the challenges faced by the countless women who served in the field of medicine in the American West from 1849 to the mid-20th century. The unfolding of their stories provides an account not only of care and skill and personal success but also of the terrible hardships and deep sacrifices demanded of them. In them, we sense an unsung dedication to the art of healing, a thirst for knowledge, a quiet resistance to gender-based social prejudice, and a strong commitment to the advancement of women's rights. With striking archival photographs and excerpts from the letters and journals of women physicians, Medicine Women creates a timeless portrait of frontier women doctors. The story of women in medicine is multi- fold, from their ascendency as healers and midwives in the early years of American Colonialism to their gradual decline as they were eclipsed by men, whose entrance into the medical ranks brought new standards of exclusionary professionalism. All-male medical schools, state medical boards, and licensing pushed "healing" women into the subcategory of midwife or nurse. Nineteenth-century women retaliated by forming their own colleges, studying independently, and eventually forcing themselves into competition with accepted medical institutions. But these women doctors had a twin burden of prejudice to overcome: first, society's Victorian grudge against any woman who wished to snap the bonds of domesticity and become a professional; and, also, the basic distrust of a rural population for medicine. Women had to win the confidence of female patients before launching into feminist encouragement, advocating fresh air, exercise, and uncorseted clothing. The discreet balance of power between physician and patient hung in delicate balance, either tipped toward female competition or stirred into a level of feminine support. With nearly 100 archival photographs and a rich array of quotes from many unpublished journals, Medicine Women casts a new look at women physicians on the frontier.




		Medicine Women: The Story of Early-American Women Doctors Finalist, Non-Fiction, The Willa Award ISBN 0 - 517 - 59848 - 5 $25.00 SRP "Lively, compelling first-person accounts of [women's medical] work and the often appalling state of medical practice before the 20th century conjure strong scenes of life on the American frontier. Understanding the stories of these medical pioneers--their motivations, hardships, and conflicts--assigns a human face to otherwise dry statistics. The early-American female doctor comes vividly to life through her own writings, which have been incorporated into this book. " --Amazon Review Medicine Women is a chronicle of the times and the challenges faced by the countless women who served in the field of medicine in the American West from 1849 to the mid-20th century. The unfolding of their stories provides an account not only of care and skill and personal success but also of the terrible hardships and deep sacrifices demanded of them. In them, we sense an unsung dedication to the art of healing, a thirst for knowledge, a quiet resistance to gender-based social prejudice, and a strong commitment to the advancement of women's rights. With striking archival photographs and excerpts from the letters and journals of women physicians, Medicine Women creates a timeless portrait of frontier women doctors. The story of women in medicine is multi- fold, from their ascendency as healers and midwives in the early years of American Colonialism to their gradual decline as they were eclipsed by men, whose entrance into the medical ranks brought new standards of exclusionary professionalism. All-male medical schools, state medical boards, and licensing pushed "healing" women into the subcategory of midwife or nurse. Nineteenth-century women retaliated by forming their own colleges, studying independently, and eventually forcing themselves into competition with accepted medical institutions. But these women doctors had a twin burden of prejudice to overcome: first, society's Victorian grudge against any woman who wished to snap the bonds of domesticity and become a professional; and, also, the basic distrust of a rural population for medicine. Women had to win the confidence of female patients before launching into feminist encouragement, advocating fresh air, exercise, and uncorseted clothing. The discreet balance of power between physician and patient hung in delicate balance, either tipped toward female competition or stirred into a level of feminine support. With nearly 100 archival photographs and a rich array of quotes from many unpublished journals, Medicine Women casts a new look at women physicians on the frontier.