Nonfiction

Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World

Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-12 06:30:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Elinor Cleghorn
  • ISBN：B08JKNHQR2
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Éimhear （A Little Haze） ，

Unwell Women is an utterly incredible book。 It explores the history of women through the lens of medicine， and how the intrinsic patriarchal bias that exists within medicine has impacted on the lives of women down throughout the ages。 In the book， author Elinor Cleghorn （herself an unwell woman）， carefully details the history of medicine and the ways in which unwell women have not been listened to by the medical community， and how women as a whole have been denied agency over their own wellbeing Unwell Women is an utterly incredible book。 It explores the history of women through the lens of medicine， and how the intrinsic patriarchal bias that exists within medicine has impacted on the lives of women down throughout the ages。 In the book， author Elinor Cleghorn （herself an unwell woman）， carefully details the history of medicine and the ways in which unwell women have not been listened to by the medical community， and how women as a whole have been denied agency over their own wellbeing and health。 The book starts during ancient times and shows how the misogynistic idea that women are second class citizens and merely walking uteri whose only function is motherhood and the servitude of men ingrained itself into early medicine leading to the dismissal of women’s pain and illnesses， and instead cast women as hysterical and delicate beings， and painted the entire gender as being dictated by emotion。 And this idea continued through the Middle Ages， Victorian Era， and beyond into modern medicine。 The book is truly extensive and meticulous， in both its historical scope and the depth of research involved in its writing， as it thoroughly details how women’s anatomy and psychology were studied in ways that worked to oppress women in society。 It’s chilling to see how much of women’s suffering was treated based on how it affected the males in these women’s lives。 To many people this book might be eye opening to see the medical dismissal of women。 But for me it wasn’t。 Because I’m an unwell woman。 I have been chronically ill all of my life。 I have first hand experience of the dismissal of my medical complaints and the misogynistic attitudes of many of the medical practitioners that I’ve met along the way。 To me this book felt like it gave voice to the myriad of women like me that suffer with mysterious and invisible illnesses。 Cleghorn has highlighted the glaring inequalities in the medical system that we patients intimately know about， and I’m hopeful that this book will make its way into the hands of those who need to take stock and realise that women are suffering。 Understand that there has been a bias in medicine as the medical standard has always been the white cis heterosexual male。 Medicine has not been impartial， and sadly this has led to women suffering。 The statistics show that women are more likely to have autoimmune diseases， and yet when so many female patients first present with symptoms of pain and malaise that are tricky to diagnose it frequently results in the medical professional deciding that it’s psychosomatic。 The book also shines light on the racial bias in medicine and shows how Black women have been dehumanised， and are still being dehumanised to this day。 There are harrowing accounts of experimental surgeries being carried out on enslaved women of colour， of sterilisations being carried out without consent， and a horrifically underhanded eugenicist attitude to providing birth control to Black women in the USA。 Overall， Unwell Women is a devastating account of how preconceptions， myths， and the frequent misdiagnosis of diseases affecting women have persevered from the ancient era to the current day。 Both the history and the science are explained in clear fashion， and even though it’s incredibly detailed it never feels too wordy。 And the book’s overriding message is one that that still needs to be heard loud and clear by the medical profession today; believe women。 A truly exceptional read。Trigger WarningAs I mentioned in my review I’m an unwell woman。 I have a number of chronic illnesses。 It took over ten years for me to receive my major diagnosis and along the way I was the victim of medical gaslighting。 Therefore， when reading this book I was frequently “gut punched” as it brought back a lot of painful memories。 While I think this is an important read especially for those of us who are unwell women please do prepare yourself for an emotionally tough read。 *An e-copy was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley for honest review* Publishing 10th June 2021， W&N For more reviews and book related chat check out my blogFollow me on TwitterFriend me on Goodreads 。。。more

Verity Halliday ，

Unwell Women is a comprehensive and clearly communicated history of the way medicine and doctors have treated women throughout history。 The tale is a constant stream of disbelieving women’s pain， assigning all ailments to women’s “misuse” of their reproductive organs， general sexism， eugenics and racism， punishing women for their illnesses and causing tremendous harm for not-very-good reasons。We’ve come a long way， but there’s still a long way to go。 It’s clear that education， research and belie Unwell Women is a comprehensive and clearly communicated history of the way medicine and doctors have treated women throughout history。 The tale is a constant stream of disbelieving women’s pain， assigning all ailments to women’s “misuse” of their reproductive organs， general sexism， eugenics and racism， punishing women for their illnesses and causing tremendous harm for not-very-good reasons。We’ve come a long way， but there’s still a long way to go。 It’s clear that education， research and believing patients’ own experiences of their illness are key to compassionate and effective care，This book made me angry and desperately sad for all the people in history who’ve experienced unnecessary pain and maltreatment， but also hopeful for a future where that doesn’t happen any more。 We know where we went wrong， now we need to do better，Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback。 。。。more

Kayleigh Brooks ，

A really detailed and interesting look at the treatment of women during the history of medicine in the Western world。Particularly of interest was the "wondering uterus" theories of the ancient Greeks， the pushing out and persecution of women practising medicine and then being accused of witchcraft and the in depth analysis through time of hysteria。I really liked how each part was presented and that it was acknowledged when a doctor or activist had also held troublesome beliefs。 This took me long A really detailed and interesting look at the treatment of women during the history of medicine in the Western world。Particularly of interest was the "wondering uterus" theories of the ancient Greeks， the pushing out and persecution of women practising medicine and then being accused of witchcraft and the in depth analysis through time of hysteria。I really liked how each part was presented and that it was acknowledged when a doctor or activist had also held troublesome beliefs。 This took me longer than average to read but I feel like that's because there was so much to take in！ Definitely recommend this， might have to get my hands on a paper copy！ 。。。more

Yolanda Sfetsos ，

Just like The Menopause Manifesto， this is a book that I just had to get my hands on。 Also， the cover is gorgeous。As a girl who grew up to become a woman， I'm no stranger to being dismissed or harassed because of my gender。 I've also experienced plenty of reactions from male doctors who either made me feel like I was complaining about nothing， overdoing it， or made it sound like every symptom in the world was somehow closely tied to my gender and weight。 So， of course this book instantly caught Just like The Menopause Manifesto， this is a book that I just had to get my hands on。 Also， the cover is gorgeous。As a girl who grew up to become a woman， I'm no stranger to being dismissed or harassed because of my gender。 I've also experienced plenty of reactions from male doctors who either made me feel like I was complaining about nothing， overdoing it， or made it sound like every symptom in the world was somehow closely tied to my gender and weight。 So， of course this book instantly caught my attention。 Not just because I'm very interested in this subject， but because I can so relate to the concept of women's health being dismissed。In this nice and thick book， Elinor Cleghorn lays out the many ways women's health issues are often ignored or misdiagnosed because not enough time and effort is devoted to research。 She also shares her own experience after becoming an unwell woman。I love how much history is packed into the book。 Every page is full of handy information about everything。 Some， I already knew about， but there's so much more that I didn't。 I mean， it starts all the way back in Ancient Greece before covering every century between then and now。There's a LOT of history and info packed within these pages， and I enjoyed reading about all of it。Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine And Myth in a Man-Made World is an awesome book packed full of medical history that focuses on women。 I found this refreshing， intriguing， and very interesting。 This is another one of those books every woman should have on their bookshelf。Thank you Hachette Australia for sending me a copy！ 。。。more

Dolank ，

Thank you for writing this， you are empowering voices。

Christy ，

This book is a powerful history of how women’s health and women’s bodies have been medicalized， demonized， controlled， or ignored throughout western history， starting with Greek philosophers， to the witch hunts of the 1400’s and 1500’s， to lobotomies in the 1950’s for any number of “unexplained” maladies to the present day。 The author includes her own experience with lupus and the seven years it took her to get a diagnosis， as well as the particularly harmful effects of medical practices and pre This book is a powerful history of how women’s health and women’s bodies have been medicalized， demonized， controlled， or ignored throughout western history， starting with Greek philosophers， to the witch hunts of the 1400’s and 1500’s， to lobotomies in the 1950’s for any number of “unexplained” maladies to the present day。 The author includes her own experience with lupus and the seven years it took her to get a diagnosis， as well as the particularly harmful effects of medical practices and prejudices on Black women， other women of color， and women not fitting the strict gender binary imposed by mostly male doctors。 She talks about the ways women have been excluded from research studies and drug trials， the horrific experimentation done on Black and Puerto Rican women in the development of modern gynecology and birth control， and the way the AIDS crisis， already horribly handled because of prejudice against gay men， was made even worse by the medical profession’s treatment of it as solely a cis male disease。 From the wandering womb theory to the common belief that women’s pain was mostly in their heads to the fact that for most of western history women’s health was taken seriously solely with respect to reproduction， this book is at times infuriating to read， but it also includes positive moves forward。 The author’s concluding chapter is called “Believe Us。” This book should lead to twenty other books， delving more deeply into the specific histories of so many of these practices and problems。 This book is dense but not hard to follow — I don’t feel like it was written for academics。 A great read。 。。。more

Annette Jordan ，

Unwell Women: A Journey through Medicine and Myth in a Man Made World by Elinor Cleghorn is a concise account of how myth， misinformation and misdiagnosis of women's health issues has persisted to the current day where the understanding and treatment of unwell women still leaves much to be desired in far too many instances。Moving from ancient Greece and Rome through the Middle Ages， the Victorian Era and right up to the current day the author examines how the same ideas ， often without any scien Unwell Women: A Journey through Medicine and Myth in a Man Made World by Elinor Cleghorn is a concise account of how myth， misinformation and misdiagnosis of women's health issues has persisted to the current day where the understanding and treatment of unwell women still leaves much to be desired in far too many instances。Moving from ancient Greece and Rome through the Middle Ages， the Victorian Era and right up to the current day the author examines how the same ideas ， often without any scientific basis， held sway for centuries until they could finally be proven to be wrong。 The author does an exceptional job of clearly explaining the history and the science so that the book flows well and the reader never feels bogged down in dates or details。 The case studies she utilises are sometimes heart breaking， and often frustrating as we see women being mistreated， used as human guinea pigs for surgical experimentation ， or dismissed and discredited when they are struggling with complex auto immune conditions。 As someone who works in healthcare， I cannot say that I was shocked by what I read ， but I am hopeful that things are changing， albeit slowly。 I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the Publisher， all opinions are my own。 。。。more

Sarah ，

This books starts with Hippocrates and the ancient Greeks and works its way through history to lay out the misinformation and bias against women in Western medicine has and continues to affect the way women are treated and diagnosed with disease。 At lot of this history is brutal。 Terrible things have been done particularly to BIPOC， disabled， and poor women throughout history， and this book does not shy away from that truth。This book isn't an easy read， but it's an important one to understand th This books starts with Hippocrates and the ancient Greeks and works its way through history to lay out the misinformation and bias against women in Western medicine has and continues to affect the way women are treated and diagnosed with disease。 At lot of this history is brutal。 Terrible things have been done particularly to BIPOC， disabled， and poor women throughout history， and this book does not shy away from that truth。This book isn't an easy read， but it's an important one to understand the biases that exist in medicine today， like how many women don't know the signs of a heart attack because popular media focuses on the signs that appear in men。 Or the multi-year process it takes to get a diagnosis of a chronic， or autoimmune disease， both of which disproportionately affect women。 。。。more

Lauren ，

“This book delves into the ways that androcentric medicine has studied， assessed， and defined the biological and anatomical conditions labeled ‘female。’”In Unwell Women， Elinor Cleghorn compiles and exposes the history of women’s medicine。 Beginning with Hippocrates and stretching to the present， this book presents countless stories of women suffering at the hands of male doctors。 Whether the theories those doctors espoused are laugh-out-loud ridiculous or downright horrifying， they are importan “This book delves into the ways that androcentric medicine has studied， assessed， and defined the biological and anatomical conditions labeled ‘female。’”In Unwell Women， Elinor Cleghorn compiles and exposes the history of women’s medicine。 Beginning with Hippocrates and stretching to the present， this book presents countless stories of women suffering at the hands of male doctors。 Whether the theories those doctors espoused are laugh-out-loud ridiculous or downright horrifying， they are important to read。 “For the uterus does not issue forth like an animal from a lair。”You wouldn’t think it possible for a medical male to believe that an internal organ could move about on its own， but believe it they did。 “Hysteria” is not a new word in our vocabulary， but how many individuals know that it refers to a “disease” that women were diagnosed with when doctors thought that their suffering was caused by a wandering womb？ It’s almost too absurd to bear， but women had to face this kind of infantile “medicine” for hundreds of years， all the while undergoing insane and dehumanizing treatments for their “illness”。“An unfulfilled， unemployed uterus could move out of place， wreaking havoc on the organs it reached。”The fact that women’s reproductive rights have been at issue。。。forever， essentially， boggles the mind。 Cleghorn uses so many sources to show just how far this fight reaches， how women have always been forced to shoulder the responsibility of furthering the species， and how every part of that “duty” has invaded society。 I had never before questioned why I， a cis woman， had to receive yearly STD screening。 I always assumed it was strictly for my own health。 And it is for my own health， and my partners of course， but the history of female STD screenings goes back to premarital laws requiring women to receive such tests before marriage。 To protect her potential husband from disease and her potential children from birth defects。 And today， the CDC recommends that women， gay men， and those who engage in risky sex should receive yearly STD testing。 Heterosexual men are not included in that list。 Women are still expected to undergo uncomfortable tests—sure， sure， for our own health—while het men are allowed to volunteer。“If a woman ever did become a genius， she would ‘no longer be a woman in the true biological sense of the word。’”Of the many parts of this book that made me want to scream and rage， the recounting of untold years’ worth of beliefs that women were physically incapable of being anything more than a mother challenged me。 I have to applaud Cleghorn and the women she quotes for tackling such asinine thoughts， for I find it difficult to explain my incredulity。 Incredulity is a remarkably apt word for my overall response to this book。 It is a sign of Cleghorn’s writing that I reacted so strongly to the histories she tells。 I feel as though my mind has been turned sideways， enabling me to view the world from a whole new perspective。 One that sees and recognizes the ages old sexism that is pervasive even today。 It is institutionalized， it comes from the mouths of people who took what their parents and their parents’ parents told them and internalized it until they can’t even recognize the sheer insanity of their beliefs。 It feels inescapable。But I am not without hope。 The progress that has been made thanks to so many incredible women， detailed in this book by Cleghorn， helps me to see a possible future。 One where women don’t suffer helplessly。 One where women aren’t crushed under the expectations of society。As Cleghorn says， “women are not only victims of male-dominated medical orthodoxy; they are also powerful， courageous， and sometimes contentious agents of hope and change。” 。。。more

Chantal Lyons ，

'Unwell Women' is nothing if not thorough。 The amount of research Cleghorn must have done for it is surely immense， and I'm in awe。 We begin as far back as Ancient Greece， and linger in the Medieval era as we encounter a procession of twisted religious views on women's bodies and minds and how these fuelled witch hunts。 Moving forwards into the 1800s/early 1900s， much of the story shifts to the U。S。 and medical "progress" which often came at the cost of causing terrible harm to women's bodies， i 'Unwell Women' is nothing if not thorough。 The amount of research Cleghorn must have done for it is surely immense， and I'm in awe。 We begin as far back as Ancient Greece， and linger in the Medieval era as we encounter a procession of twisted religious views on women's bodies and minds and how these fuelled witch hunts。 Moving forwards into the 1800s/early 1900s， much of the story shifts to the U。S。 and medical "progress" which often came at the cost of causing terrible harm to women's bodies， in particular those of Black women。I actually wasn't able to read all of the book - I found the sheer quantity and weight of hatred against women in these pages overwhelming， and I do wonder if some sections could have been contracted without losing any of the message （the book is nearly 500 pages long）。 I was also disappointed that so little time was spent in the present day; Cleghorn recounts her awful and not uncommon experience of suffering from Lupus and finally getting a diagnosis， but in total， the "modern day" elements make up about 5% or so of the book。 I am a sufferer of axial spondyloarthritis， a type of rheumatoid arthritis， and having waited longer for a diagnosis than I should have， I wanted to read more about what is happening in medicine right now （in the vein of 'Invisible Women'）。 Still， I can only commend Cleghorn for the detail of the book and her academic rigour。 This is an epic of vital history。（With thanks to Orion and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review） 。。。more

Annie ，

This is a compelling historical survey of the way that medicine has failed and exploited women since the Classical period and beyond。 Cleghorn includes her own perspective as an unwell woman but it is primarily an objective account of the rhetoric that was and is used to control women's bodies， perpetuate myths about child-bearing being the raison d'être of every woman's life， and discredit women's accounts of illness while legitimizing men's accounts。 I recommend this book to anyone who is inte This is a compelling historical survey of the way that medicine has failed and exploited women since the Classical period and beyond。 Cleghorn includes her own perspective as an unwell woman but it is primarily an objective account of the rhetoric that was and is used to control women's bodies， perpetuate myths about child-bearing being the raison d'être of every woman's life， and discredit women's accounts of illness while legitimizing men's accounts。 I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an overview of the ways in which the medical and pharmaceutical fields are driven by outdated ideas about women's bodies。I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Andréa ，

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss。

Jillian Doherty ，

Narrative nonfiction that enrages while it empowers （at least it did for me）！ A timeline illustrating bold and accumulative pressures - reaching back to the 5th century to present。 Deftly outlining physical， emotional， social， male dominated repression that all women have felt at some level。 While we all understand these facets， to varying degrees- there's never been a collective voice that so well illustrates it visceral， with historical and scientific backing。 If you're a fan of Stacy Schiff， Narrative nonfiction that enrages while it empowers （at least it did for me）！ A timeline illustrating bold and accumulative pressures - reaching back to the 5th century to present。 Deftly outlining physical， emotional， social， male dominated repression that all women have felt at some level。 While we all understand these facets， to varying degrees- there's never been a collective voice that so well illustrates it visceral， with historical and scientific backing。 If you're a fan of Stacy Schiff， Nancy Isenberg， or Roxane Gay you'll enjoy this too！ Galley borrowed from the publisher。 。。。more

Emily ，

Required Reading。