Women in white coats : how the first women doctors changed the world of medicine Cover Image

Book

Women in white coats : how the first women doctors changed the world of medicine / Olivia Campbell.

Campbell, Olivia (Journalist), (author.).

Summary:

"In the early 1800s, women were dying in large numbers from treatable diseases because they avoided receiving medical care. Examinations performed by male doctors were often demeaning and even painful. In addition, women faced stigma from illness--a diagnosis could greatly limit their ability to find husbands, jobs or be received in polite society. Motivated by personal loss and frustration over inadequate medical care, Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Sophia Jex-Blake fought for a woman's place in the male-dominated medical field. For the first time ever, Women in White Coats tells the complete history of these three pioneering women who, despite countless obstacles, earned medical degrees and paved the way for other women to do the same. Though very different in personality and circumstance, together these women built women-run hospitals and teaching colleges--creating for the first time medical care for women by women." -- Inside front jacket flap.

Documents the true stories of three pioneering women who defied Victorian-era boundaries to become the first women doctors, discussing how they banded together to support each other and advocate for women's health in a male-dominated field.

Record details

ISBN: 9780778389392
ISBN: 0778389391
Physical Description: 361 pages ; 24 cm
Publisher: Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Park Row Books, [2021]
Copyright: ©2021

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 309-311) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Prologue: The forgotten history of healing -- A lady doctor -- Surely, she is a joke -- Another Elizabeth blazes the trail -- More than a nurse -- Young Sophia -- Sophia in America -- Facing down hurdles as America's first woman doctor -- Changing the culture, one patient at a time -- Lizzie is pushed into private study -- The Blackwells welcome Sophia in New York -- Lizzie takes on London -- Sophia storms Edinburgh -- Emily's turn to shine in New York -- A lady doctor gets married -- The campaign in Edinburgh ends -- Finding a way forward -- Societies and controversies -- A place all their own in London -- On to separate paths -- Epilogue: A lasting legacy.