Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World
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- Create Date：2021-06-07 00:51:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Elinor Cleghorn
- ISBN：1474616852
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Summary
'We are taught that medicine is the art of solving our body's mysteries。 And as a science， we expect medicine to uphold the principles of evidence and impartiality。 We want our doctors to listen to us and care for us as people， but we also need their assessments of our pain and fevers， aches and exhaustion to be free of any prejudice about who we are， our gender， or the colour of our skin。 But medicine carries the burden of its own troubling history。 The history of medicine， of illness， is a history of people， of their bodies and their lives， not just physicians， surgeons， clinicians and researchers。 And medical progress has always reflected the realities of a changing world， and the meanings of being human。'
In Unwell Women Elinor Cleghorn unpacks the roots of the perpetual misunderstanding， mystification and misdiagnosis of women's bodies， and traces the journey from the 'wandering womb' of ancient Greece， the rise of witch trials in Medieval Europe， through the dawn of Hysteria， to modern day understandings of autoimmune diseases， the menopause and conditions like endometriosis。 Packed with character studies of women who have suffered， challenged and rewritten medical orthodoxy - and drawing on her own experience of un-diagnosed Lupus disease - this is a ground-breaking and timely exposé of the medical world and woman's place within it。
In Unwell Women Elinor Cleghorn unpacks the roots of the perpetual misunderstanding， mystification and misdiagnosis of women's bodies， and traces the journey from the 'wandering womb' of ancient Greece， the rise of witch trials in Medieval Europe， through the dawn of Hysteria， to modern day understandings of autoimmune diseases， the menopause and conditions like endometriosis。 Packed with character studies of women who have suffered， challenged and rewritten medical orthodoxy - and drawing on her own experience of un-diagnosed Lupus disease - this is a ground-breaking and timely exposé of the medical world and woman's place within it。
Reviews
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
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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
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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
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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
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“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
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Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss。
Jillian Doherty
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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
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