Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers

by Barbara Ehrenreich; Deirdre English, Barbara Ehrenreich, Deirdre English

Paperback

Published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Ilah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would definitely love to read books that go more in-depth on the content. My biggest critique is that it is VERY white focused and BARELY touches on the importance of poc healers. When talking about poor or working class women — the white authors mean white women. How can you talk about intersecting the feminist and working class movements without discussing the huge role of women of color (and related to specifically to the topic of healthcare and gynecology in this book — medical racism and its effect on black maternal mortality rates)

[Jacob Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anybody who practices medicine should read this book. It provides so much context for the history of what we call medicine today. The feminist movement is intertwined with the progression of the medical profession.

[Mashmc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, opinionated, and perhaps superseded by more current research, the authors nonetheless posit a provocative alternative history to the 400 years of witch hunts in Europe, and the nettling question of gender in the healing arts.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic 2nd wave read, certainly opinionated writing but who wouldn’t be opinionated when you’ve been the more discriminated sex for centuries.

[Amy Blankenship · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this writing gives a good history of women in healthcare I disagree with the feminist view in this book. It is outdated and undermines the nursing profession when it concludes that nursing is only an extension of our roles as nurturers and mothers. Nursing is so much more and takes much education and skill. Nursing was a profession disrespected by many physicians, yes there are still some who do. But nurses now can become doctors of nursing practice and have prescribing privileges. They can obtain their PhDs and create scholarly work. Nurses can gain just as much knowledge as a physician if desired. So if you’d like to read about some of the history it’s an interesting read. The author unfortunately passed in 2022. I do wonder if her feminist ideals would be the same today regarding the nursing profession.