Rural American Medical History

At this time there was no physician-patient relationship, this being due to the fact that physicians were there to treat the body and the general view was that patients were unable to provide accurate evidence without “feelings and emotions” getting in the way. This Era at the bottom line was about facts, evidence and physical direct ailments. The nursing profession was just starting to be developed in this Era. The “nurses” of this time were family members, nuns, priests, neighbors who were all untrained. The start of some of the founding nurses were seen such as Florence Nightingale. She started to look at sanitary conditions and nutrition, some might say she was the original nurse. Her contribution the start of nursing is very significant. She trained some of the first nurses during the Crimean War and with her training she was able to statistically show how sanitary conditions, cleanliness and nutrition were able to significantly decrease the death rate of Crimean soldiers. In Era I physicians really only took care of one part of the “human”, because as humans we are a composition of the physical, mental and soul. Those three parts are what give us humanity and higher thinking. So Era I does not create a fully encompassing view of medicine.

In the 1800’s women were not allowed to voice their opinion regarding their medical treatment. It was unheard of for a women to voice her opinion or go against her husband judgement. If a women did speak out they were deemed crazy and often institutionalized. During this time men were the dominant forces and a husband, father ,or brother could have a

Ann Wood Douglas suggests that a significant number of number in America during the early nineteenth century considered themselves ill. Many of these women, Douglas asserts, were self-diagnosed. However, these diagnoses were both encouraged and stimulated by the culture surrounding them. These women were not just sick, instead, they were sick because they were women. Their anatomy, specifically the uterus, was viewed as an inherently erratic and troubled organ that

Most Americans associate hospitals to be the standard place where women can give birth. However, women did not always deliver in hospitals. Gynecology, the medical practice dealing with the female reproductive system, did not emerge until the early nineteenth century. Before doctors came along, women used to hire midwives to deliver babies in the comfort of their own homes. In this paper I will examine the social, political, and scientific implications of how giving birth has transitioned from being a midwife’s job into that of a doctor’s. Furthermore, I will attempt to show how these implications intersect together to make birth a feminist issue. To support my argument, I will be referencing Tina Cassidy’s “The Dawn of the Doctors,” Abby Epstein’s documentary film The Business of Being Born, and Eesha Pandit’s article “America’s secret history of forced sterilization: Remembering a disturbing and not-so-distant past.” I argue that the processes surrounding birth are intersectional feminist issues because they are often manipulated by male figures pursuing money and authority, which ultimately compromises women’s health and power of choice.

Prior to the late 1840’s, medicine was predominately practiced by males because women were not given the same opportunities and rights that men were born with. As a result they were forced to fight for admission into medical school to be given the freedom and choice to learn and collaborate with men. Their struggles didn’t cease once they were permitted to attend medical school; they were frequently ostracized and secluded from job opportunities in hospitals and clinics. Women were forced to put in double the amount of work, only to achieve half of the success of their male counterparts.

“changing face of medicine.” She also wrote many informing publications such as, The Scientific Method In Biology, and the, Human Element in Sex. All that she had accomplished created a new chapter in medical history where women become apart of the healthcare professions.

The evolution of women’s rights and advancements throughout history is undeniable. The prejudice against women in the workforce and more specifically in the medical workforce is a prejudice that can easily be found till this day. The idea of gender roles, and the separation of women and the “male dominated careers”, still lingers even through decades of change in a developing society. Fortunately, certain women in history have forever influenced the way medicine works as well as how women are looked upon when studying in the medical field. Although there were many male physicians far before the first woman could even be considered to attend a medical school, there were many women that wouldn’t take no for an answer. Whether it was through an

These journal entries shine light on the incoming of modern medicine and how it over took the more traditional ways that Martha had been

In the early 1900 's Margaret Sanger revolutionized the lives of women forever by securing the rights of women to control their own fertility and the rights of a child to be wanted. Today we take birth control for granted and it is indeed a right that we give little or no thought too therefore It is difficult to imagine Sangers struggle to introduce birth control and reproductive rights in the U.S.A as being fraught with controversy and causing her to be pursued as a criminal. The 'Comstock Act ' of 1873 meant that by simply providing any information on birth control a person was breaking the law and risked arrest. This essay aims to show the significance of Margaret Sangers contribution to nursing, how she created change in the United states as a whole as well as in the nursing profession and the lasting legacy she has left to nursing. When she received her first major honor, the Medal of Achievement off the American Women 's Association in 1931, the citation recognized that she "fought a battle single handed .. . a pioneer of pioneers ( Holt, Rinehart & Winston cited in Wardell, D 1980).

However, women desired a higher education. Elizabeth Blackwell is a prime example of women’s fight for a medical degree, one of the first STEM environments available to women. In order to kick-start her education she wrote to all of the doctors that she knew,

The popular portrayal of American medicine greatly evolved over the course of the 20th century in many ways. In the beginning of the century, doctors were considered hero with magical powers to heal everyone through their knowledge. This can be shown in the "men in white" clip, where doctors are portrayed as the highest level and they take charge in the operating room. Also, only men were in the medical field because being a doctor showed more power and men were considered more powerful in that era (Not As A Stranger). As the years progressed, women joined the healthcare field as a nurse and more focus

Access to care can be defined as people’s ability to obtain healthcare when needed. It may also mean the availability of resources of care for people. Access is one of the main elements of health status. In preindustrial America, people were dealing with most problems of illness within their family, neighbors, and community. They had learned to rely on themselves in dealing with their own needs. Women were a big part of medicine of the domestic household. Mothers and wives were expected to have skills of family care and that was part of their responsibility. The demand for medical services was low. Occasionally, families had physicians come to their homes for treatments. Lay healers, bonesetters, and botanic practitioners were common. They used folk remedies that had passed down through generations. Families had mastered such a wide range of skills and self-reliance that there

Many women wanted to become involved in the medical field by becoming doctors; however, in the 1950's glorified domesticity, placing a women's primary role as that of homemaker most women were unable to follow their dream. In the 1950s only 5.5% of entering students were women (Looking Back Over the History of Women in

Mary Donaldson – the woman that ignited the fire, for her honest opinion for Elizabeth Blackwell to study was what resulted in Blackwell to be the first female to graduate with an M.D. Donaldson, diagnosed with cancer, had the impression that examinations and treatments performed by a female doctor were less troublesome in comparison to appointments done by a male doctor. Although suggested, Blackwell, who had a fervor for studying, confronted the animosity from society, included that women who studied medicine were deceitful and nefarious. Despite the unsettling stereotypes, Blackwell was still accepted into The Geneva Medical College, a school that did not wave Blackwell a crude goodbye only because the faculty presumed Blackwell’s application

The 5500-year history of women in surgery dates back to the beginning of Western civilization in Mesopotamia, and can be divided into three epochs: ancient history, the Middle Ages and early modern period, and modern times. This paper aims to present an overview of the evolution of the role of women in medicine, specifically surgery, from the earliest known documentation to the present day, and seeks to explain why women were excluded from the profession until the late 19th century.