Making Women's Medicine Masculine

The Rise of Male Authority in Pre-Modern Gynaecology

Nonfiction, History, European General, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Making Women's Medicine Masculine by Monica H. Green, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Monica H. Green ISBN: 9780191607356
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: March 20, 2008
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Monica H. Green
ISBN: 9780191607356
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: March 20, 2008
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

Making Women's Medicine Masculine challenges the common belief that prior to the eighteenth century men were never involved in any aspect of women's healthcare in Europe. Using sources ranging from the writings of the famous twelfth-century female practitioner, Trota of Salerno, all the way to the great tomes of Renaissance male physicians, and covering both medicine and surgery, this study demonstrates that men slowly established more and more authority in diagnosing and prescribing treatments for women's gynaecological conditions (especially infertility) and even certain obstetrical conditions. Even if their 'hands-on' knowledge of women's bodies was limited by contemporary mores, men were able to establish their increasing authority in this and all branches of medicine due to their greater access to literacy and the knowledge contained in books, whether in Latin or the vernacular. As Monica Green shows, while works written in French, Dutch, English, and Italian were sometimes addressed to women, nevertheless even these were often re-appropriated by men, both by practitioners who treated women and by laymen interested to learn about the 'secrets' of generation. While early in the period women were considered to have authoritative knowledge on women's conditions (hence the widespread influence of the alleged authoress 'Trotula'), by the end of the period to be a woman was no longer an automatic qualification for either understanding or treating the conditions that most commonly afflicted the female sex - with implications of women's exclusion from production of knowledge on their own bodies extending to the present day.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Making Women's Medicine Masculine challenges the common belief that prior to the eighteenth century men were never involved in any aspect of women's healthcare in Europe. Using sources ranging from the writings of the famous twelfth-century female practitioner, Trota of Salerno, all the way to the great tomes of Renaissance male physicians, and covering both medicine and surgery, this study demonstrates that men slowly established more and more authority in diagnosing and prescribing treatments for women's gynaecological conditions (especially infertility) and even certain obstetrical conditions. Even if their 'hands-on' knowledge of women's bodies was limited by contemporary mores, men were able to establish their increasing authority in this and all branches of medicine due to their greater access to literacy and the knowledge contained in books, whether in Latin or the vernacular. As Monica Green shows, while works written in French, Dutch, English, and Italian were sometimes addressed to women, nevertheless even these were often re-appropriated by men, both by practitioners who treated women and by laymen interested to learn about the 'secrets' of generation. While early in the period women were considered to have authoritative knowledge on women's conditions (hence the widespread influence of the alleged authoress 'Trotula'), by the end of the period to be a woman was no longer an automatic qualification for either understanding or treating the conditions that most commonly afflicted the female sex - with implications of women's exclusion from production of knowledge on their own bodies extending to the present day.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Making Objects and Events by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Rocks: A Very Short Introduction by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book EU Migration Law by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Feeding the Democracy by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book The Red and the Real by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Cardiovascular Computed Tomography by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Evidence-Based Policing by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Languages: A Very Short Introduction by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Voices at Work by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book The Diversity of Modern Capitalism by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Critique and Utopia in Postcolonial Historical Fiction by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Fabulous Science by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Ferdinand Christian Baur and the History of Early Christianity by Monica H. Green
Cover of the book Philosophy Within Its Proper Bounds by Monica H. Green
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy