Nonfiction

Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine And Myth in a Man-Made World

Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine And Myth in a Man-Made World

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  • Create Date：2021-09-12 08:51:16
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Elinor Cleghorn
  • ISBN：1474616860
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Summary

A trailblazing conversation-starting history of women's health--from Ancient Greece to hormones and autoimmune diseases--brought together in a fascinating sweeping narrative

In thirteenth-century Europe， Roman Catholicism decreed that menstruation was the curse of Eve， part of the punishment issued by God to all earthly women。 In the 1860s， female circumcision was considered a respective cure for misunderstood diseases including endometriosis and epilepsy。 At the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine， between 1950 and 1954， three women aged twenty-eight， thirty-two， and forty-three and identified only as housewives， underwent prefrontal lobotomies as cures for ulcerative colitis。 Initial clinical trials of birth control were conducted in Puerto Rico， on some of the poorest residents of the United States。 Of those who participated in the trial， many suffered debilitating side effects and three died--but their deaths were never reported in the subsequent release of the pill。 In Unwell Women， Elinor Cleghorn explores this almost unbelievable history of how medicine has failed women， and shows how the legacy of disenfranchisement and discrimination is alive and well in the contemporary relationship between women and sickness。

When Cleghorn was finally correctly diagnosed with an autoimmune disease after years of being told her symptoms were anything from psychosomatic to a possible pregnancy， she was inspired to unpack the roots of the perpetual misunderstanding， mystification， and misdiagnosis of women's bodies。 The result is an authoritative and groundbreaking history of the relationship between women and medical practice， from the wandering womb of Ancient Greece to the rise of witch trials across Europe， and from the dawn of hysteria as a catchall for difficult-to-diagnose disorders to the first forays into autoimmunity and the shifting understanding of hormones， menstruation， and menopause。 Packed with character studies and case histories of women who have suffered， challenged， and rewritten medical orthodoxy--and the men who controlled their fate--this is a revolutionary examination of the relationship between women， illness， and medicine。 With these case histories， Elinor pays homage to the women whose bodies were sacrificed to make strides in this still-evolving area of medicine and to show how far we still have to go in terms of understanding the female body。

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Reviews

Anna Tidwell ，

One of the most phenomenally written books I've ever read。 Cleghorn does a magnificent job of presenting medical history by acknowledging all sides of trailblazers' multifaceted beliefs and progressive actions。 An absolute must-read， especially for all persons involved in the medical field and anyone who identifies as an unwell woman -- inspiring and beautiful。 One of the most phenomenally written books I've ever read。 Cleghorn does a magnificent job of presenting medical history by acknowledging all sides of trailblazers' multifaceted beliefs and progressive actions。 An absolute must-read， especially for all persons involved in the medical field and anyone who identifies as an unwell woman -- inspiring and beautiful。 。。。more

Melissa ，

3。5

Alison ，

Important look at women's misdiagnosis across history。 A bit rambling and overly wordy in places but a powerful contribution， nonetheless。 Important look at women's misdiagnosis across history。 A bit rambling and overly wordy in places but a powerful contribution， nonetheless。 。。。more

Chloe Hancock ，

An absolute MUST READ for women and men alike。 I couldn’t put it down！

Jessica DMJ ，

I heard about this book through a fascinating NPR segment where Cleghorn spoke with a reporter about the history of medical misogyny。 As a woman， it was incredibly validating to see that I was not the only person whose medical symptoms had been shrugged off by doctors。 The book is basically a history of medical misogyny and how it effects medicine in today's world。 I am knocking one star off because although I blew through the first third of the book， the second and third thirds got a bit dry in I heard about this book through a fascinating NPR segment where Cleghorn spoke with a reporter about the history of medical misogyny。 As a woman， it was incredibly validating to see that I was not the only person whose medical symptoms had been shrugged off by doctors。 The book is basically a history of medical misogyny and how it effects medicine in today's world。 I am knocking one star off because although I blew through the first third of the book， the second and third thirds got a bit dry in my opinion。 I appreciated the history of how medicine has failed women， but I did feel like the text sometimes got bogged down with too many examples。 I think there could have been more of a connection to the modern day。 As some other reviewers pointed out， Cleghorn should have included how fatphobia makes this phenomenon even worse。 Additionally， there were a few factual errors。 The date for the invention of the European printing press was wrong， for example。All in all， I feel like those failures were a bit minor in context of how much Cleghorn was able to accomplish in just 300 pages。 She goes through so many topics， and is relatively inclusive in terms of how race， income， and gender identity affects women's health。 This is a book everyone should read。 。。。more

Mrs J M Sandford ，

Brilliant。

Hajnalka Héjja ，

For someone， who actually took the Hippocratic oath， reading this book felt like a revelation。 Putting into context so much I learned as a medical student in a male dominated environment， and how I experienced life & diseases & medical decisions。 The book is written with not only thorough research behind， but with compassion， empathy and also with a great sense of irony， sarcasm and wit。 I whole-heartedly recommend this book to everyone。

Mary Davis ，

Throughout the book I went between thinking "that makes sense" to being angry with ignorant myths， to wanting to know more。 Highly recommended for every woman to read this。 Throughout the book I went between thinking "that makes sense" to being angry with ignorant myths， to wanting to know more。 Highly recommended for every woman to read this。 。。。more

Mairead ，

UK/USA centred， occasionally startling otherwise interesting

Katie ，

More like 3。5。 It seemed to meander at times， which is unsurprising given the sheer scope of this book。 Also， this is a book that largely centers on reproductive health and how women throughout history have been reduced to the sum of their parts。 As such， abortion is discussed which may cause problems for some readers。 Overall， I thought this was an important read。 As a woman with a chronic illness， so much of this matched my own experience。 （Thankfully women are no longer lobotimized to treat u More like 3。5。 It seemed to meander at times， which is unsurprising given the sheer scope of this book。 Also， this is a book that largely centers on reproductive health and how women throughout history have been reduced to the sum of their parts。 As such， abortion is discussed which may cause problems for some readers。 Overall， I thought this was an important read。 As a woman with a chronic illness， so much of this matched my own experience。 （Thankfully women are no longer lobotimized to treat ulcerative colitis！） Believe us。 。。。more

Annie ，

This book is an absolute must-read！ I was familiar with some of the unfortunate history of "hysteria" and women being told that if we experience any pain or illness - "it is all in our head。" - but I never realized the extent to which women's bodies and illness has been used to keep women socially obedient。 Elinor Cleghorn does a very thorough job in her research （both in the UK where she is based and in the US）。 Not only does she cover the vast disparities in how women have been treated through This book is an absolute must-read！ I was familiar with some of the unfortunate history of "hysteria" and women being told that if we experience any pain or illness - "it is all in our head。" - but I never realized the extent to which women's bodies and illness has been used to keep women socially obedient。 Elinor Cleghorn does a very thorough job in her research （both in the UK where she is based and in the US）。 Not only does she cover the vast disparities in how women have been treated throughout history by the medical profession， she effectively calls out the additional inequities faced by women of color。 Heroes do emerge in this book -- the brave women and a few men who championed a focus on women's health and who were willing to challenge the systemic sexism and racism in medical diagnosis and treatment。 She also shares a shocking statistic - that of the 4 million people worldwide who have an auto-immune disease， 80% are women。 She eloquently describes her experience living with an auto-immune disease。 I was horrified to learn that in the 1940:s and 1950's - auto-immune diseases were viewed as psychosomatic illnesses only and one of the recommended treatments was a lobotomy。 I would like to say medicine has come a long way since then but there are still great inequities and disparities so our work is not done。 This book is a call to action for all of us。I highly recommend this book！ 。。。more

Rose ，

Nothing wrong with it， but it covers the same ground as a number of books I've read recently， so I'm giving it a pass。 Nothing wrong with it， but it covers the same ground as a number of books I've read recently， so I'm giving it a pass。 。。。more

Sian Howells ，

A well written and informative book that followed the history of women’s health from Ancient Greece to the present day。 It was truly eye opening to see how women and their health have been treated over the years， and it brings to light the very sad truth that even now women are still fighting to be heard and believed。 I would recommend this book to everyone！ It is a valuable lesson for everyone to have that shows the struggles of women past and present when it comes to their health。 This is a fi A well written and informative book that followed the history of women’s health from Ancient Greece to the present day。 It was truly eye opening to see how women and their health have been treated over the years， and it brings to light the very sad truth that even now women are still fighting to be heard and believed。 I would recommend this book to everyone！ It is a valuable lesson for everyone to have that shows the struggles of women past and present when it comes to their health。 This is a fight that we have to continue。 。。。more

Carolyn Drake ，

A thorough and quietly angry book detailing the history of women's experiences of medicine， *spoiler I don't need to hide - they've been short-changed， victimised， villified， damaged， and killed by a system designed and run by men*。 Exhaustive and sometimes exhausting it's a shocking/not-shocking demonstration of the hurdles women have had to overcome， and the ones they are still battling， in order to get the healthcare they deserve。 A thorough and quietly angry book detailing the history of women's experiences of medicine， *spoiler I don't need to hide - they've been short-changed， victimised， villified， damaged， and killed by a system designed and run by men*。 Exhaustive and sometimes exhausting it's a shocking/not-shocking demonstration of the hurdles women have had to overcome， and the ones they are still battling， in order to get the healthcare they deserve。 。。。more

Esme ，

The BEST nonfiction book I have read this year and ranks incredibly highly on the all time list。 Will be gifted to all the women in my life。 Infuriating and thought provoking but written in a way it feels like an older mentor is letting you in on secrets over a coffee。

Joanna ，

This was a difficult but important read。 Like many women， I have had my pain dismissed or downplayed， pain which even reflected an orthopedic problem dismissed by a male surgeon。 I was familiar with some of the information discussed， but the sheer volume of documentation of such dismissal is both depressing and vital for physicians to understand。 Should be required reading for medical students/doctors in training， particularly those going into internal medicine or rheumatology。

Libby Everall ，

Slowed pace near the end

Chava ，

An engrossing account of the history of injustices against women in healthcare。 People seriously suffered before my time， and I feel so lucky to be alive at the present。 I have chronic pain and was diagnosed with psychosomatic illness。 I guess if I was born just 50 years ago， I would be given a lobotomy for how many times I went to the doctor， asking them to investigate more deeply。 This book inspires me to be grateful to the women who fought hard so that I can enjoy more equality。 And I realize An engrossing account of the history of injustices against women in healthcare。 People seriously suffered before my time， and I feel so lucky to be alive at the present。 I have chronic pain and was diagnosed with psychosomatic illness。 I guess if I was born just 50 years ago， I would be given a lobotomy for how many times I went to the doctor， asking them to investigate more deeply。 This book inspires me to be grateful to the women who fought hard so that I can enjoy more equality。 And I realize that I can do my part to further this cause。 。。。more

Kari ，

This book was amazing。 It flowed so well， while covering hundreds of years of how women have been treated by the field of medicine （in the US and UK）。 I'm not surprised by the history， but I still feel I learned a lot and there was a lot of research put into this book。 Some quotes that briefly sum it up for me: "Outside reproduction and sexual health， virtually no attention was being paid to women's illnesses and diseases。""The fight to call our bodies our own continues。" This book was amazing。 It flowed so well， while covering hundreds of years of how women have been treated by the field of medicine （in the US and UK）。 I'm not surprised by the history， but I still feel I learned a lot and there was a lot of research put into this book。 Some quotes that briefly sum it up for me: "Outside reproduction and sexual health， virtually no attention was being paid to women's illnesses and diseases。""The fight to call our bodies our own continues。" 。。。more

Elinor Jarvis ，

An interesting book of how women have been treated throughout history and even present day hurdles。 Why do we still need to fight to be heard。 Even now， our pain can't be diagnosed without first being told its our hormones and emotions or that it's all in our head。 An interesting book of how women have been treated throughout history and even present day hurdles。 Why do we still need to fight to be heard。 Even now， our pain can't be diagnosed without first being told its our hormones and emotions or that it's all in our head。 。。。more

Emma Barnet ，

Very good book great insight

Lolin ，

I read about this book in the Guardian and was intrigued n the topic and was curious how it compared to tow other books that IMO are similarInferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Storyby Angela Saini and Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Menby Caroline Criado Pérez And the comparison is not favourable for this bookAgain a it is a book that I should like and I don’tThe book did not hook me I found it hard to read。 Sure it is well researche I read about this book in the Guardian and was intrigued n the topic and was curious how it compared to tow other books that IMO are similarInferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Storyby Angela Saini and Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Menby Caroline Criado Pérez And the comparison is not favourable for this bookAgain a it is a book that I should like and I don’tThe book did not hook me I found it hard to read。 Sure it is well researched at times academically good in writing style The facts are there。 Then there is the anger， despair and sadness。 All are so very present and it sort of clouds the academic distance felt at other parts。 When she writes about number of women that have been pivotal to improve woman’s health and reproductive rights Cleghorn’s unease mixed feelings toward these women is clear。。 These women had an important role but also had rather questionable attitudes and beliefs in other areas such as racial and eugenetica。 It makes the these women re more rounded in their description They become 3D。 No such luck for any men These are just one dimensional and mostly bad and unnuanced in how they were。 Cleghorn clearly has no patience with the past where women were considered to be properties of the men and also mainly there to pro-create。 However if you step back from the rather appalling attitudes you see that the book all seems to want to describe everything from social attitudes， societal issues， reproductive rights as well as a number of diseases with focus on heart but most of all auto-immune diseases - The latter we have only been able to diagnose for a few decades as nobody know about the existence of how that part of the body worked Too much for one book really 。 Another point; she would have been better off not trying to describe about 800 years in history based on three （rather chilling examples） It simply does not do it justice。 The book really only starts around 1850， when details start With that time switch also a geographical shift takes place Form mainland Europe to UK/US only。 From big big historical lines we dive into detailed research and minutely detailed stories deeply seeped in a total sisal economical history that for me （not being US/UK resident） was uninteresting。So despite the great topic the parts I learned there is too much that I don’t like and I give it three stars 。。。more

Erica ，

Covers the history of western medical misogyny and， less extensively， racism， starting with Hippocrates and the ancient greeks， through the beginnings of the corona pandemic。 For anyone already familiar with medical misogyny， there isn't much surprising in here， but this is a great primer or introduction to the subject for men， or people who haven't experienced， studied， or learned much about it。 She's very careful to position her privilege throughout， and makes sure to include women of the glob Covers the history of western medical misogyny and， less extensively， racism， starting with Hippocrates and the ancient greeks， through the beginnings of the corona pandemic。 For anyone already familiar with medical misogyny， there isn't much surprising in here， but this is a great primer or introduction to the subject for men， or people who haven't experienced， studied， or learned much about it。 She's very careful to position her privilege throughout， and makes sure to include women of the global majority in her research with intention and care。 The final chapter is about her own struggle with lupus， and her （mis）diagnosis， and experiences of medical misogyny despite all the admitted access and privilege she has as a （presumably middle class， though she doesn't say explicitly） white woman living in the UK。 Listened to this as an audiobook， and found it engaging， distressing， and educational in equal parts。 I'm waiting to get an ebook copy so I can see if there is a bibliography， because I'm interested in her sources。 。。。more

Samneang ，

Great book。 But ugh so heavy and depressing and anger inducing。 I wouldn’t recommend unless you like this genre。

Denielle ，

I highly recommend this book， not just to unwell women， but all women， to learn the history of women in medicine through the ages。 Also to anyone who has been told by a doctor that the pain is all in their head。 This book should also be read by doctors so they don't become foolish like their predecessors in this book。 I see this book on the shelves of woman struggling in pain and waiting for a diagnosis。 Praise to Elinor Cleghorn。 I highly recommend this book， not just to unwell women， but all women， to learn the history of women in medicine through the ages。 Also to anyone who has been told by a doctor that the pain is all in their head。 This book should also be read by doctors so they don't become foolish like their predecessors in this book。 I see this book on the shelves of woman struggling in pain and waiting for a diagnosis。 Praise to Elinor Cleghorn。 。。。more

Carol Turner ，

If you haven't read Unwell Women， put it on your list。 Elinor Cleghorn has written a eminently readable， well-researched up to the minute history of medicine and women。 While I can remember a great deal of the last 70 or so years， and had heard of much of the historical information， I found many new and intriguing facts。 If you haven't read Unwell Women， put it on your list。 Elinor Cleghorn has written a eminently readable， well-researched up to the minute history of medicine and women。 While I can remember a great deal of the last 70 or so years， and had heard of much of the historical information， I found many new and intriguing facts。 。。。more

Carmen ，

My only criticism is that it focused predominantly on Western medicine。 Still hugely eye opening and well worth a read。

Sinead ，

Very interesting book that highlights lot of historical issues that women face in the past and currently when trying to access good healthcare。 My only criticism of the book is that it completely ignores fatphobia and how women are often a victim of it in medical settings。 It’s omission from the book is disappointing。

Lora ，

I can’t believe I actually read this entire book。 The middle is incredibly boring。 I realize my preference is for narrative nonfiction， so that will be my excuse for being bored from the late 1800’s to the 1950’s。 But I do believe that this is an important and eye-opening book that reveals the ways in which women’s health has been ignored and their illnesses written off pretty much forever。 And sadly， we still have quite a ways to go to achieve medical equity with men。

Tutankhamun18 ，

This book was incredibly interesting but for some reason it was often a bit dry or long winded and for periods I felt myself almost being a little bored。 I think this was because the book was connected by the theme of womens health being ignored， dismissed as mental and valued only for reproduction throughout the book， rather than a particular opinion being argued or spun。 Also，perhaps due to missing data， not enough of individuals own experiences were intervowen in the history。 Therefore， a goo This book was incredibly interesting but for some reason it was often a bit dry or long winded and for periods I felt myself almost being a little bored。 I think this was because the book was connected by the theme of womens health being ignored， dismissed as mental and valued only for reproduction throughout the book， rather than a particular opinion being argued or spun。 Also，perhaps due to missing data， not enough of individuals own experiences were intervowen in the history。 Therefore， a good introduction， but would be interested in more。 I adored the last chapter， where the author write so well about her own experience of misdiagnosis and valuation only for reproduction。 I think perhaps if a memoir blend style was used throughout it may have been more successful。 Enjoy the acknowledgement of race， sexuality and binary vs fluid genders throughout - felt like an inclusive book。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine And Myth in a Man-Made World

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine And Myth in a Man-Made World&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine And Myth in a Man-Made World&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0