Title: Witches, Midwives, and Nurses
Author: Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English
Publisher: Feminist Press
Copyright Date: 1973
Rating: 4/5
In a good majority of witchcraft history books I've been reading lately, one specific book kept being brought up and referenced: Witches, Midwives, and Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English. So, after seeing it everywhere, I decided to give it a read. Luckily for me, it was already on my bookshelf! (I really need to make a list of all the books I have.) It is an eye-opening book. As a woman looking back at history, it answers many questions I've had regarding health care and feminism. One is: "If women are natural nurturers and caregivers, why are all the doctors men?" While there has been an equalization in medicine among genders in recent years, it was male-dominated when I was a child.
Who remembers the board game 'What shall I be?'? It was made in the 60s, but I remember coming across it in the early 90s as a child in a thrift store. I immediately asked my grandmother, "why can the girls only be nurses?" I was baffled because the only doctor I had ever had was a female (a pediatrician). I knew women couldn't be surgeons, but they could be doctors (oh, my poor little child mind). I didn't realize it then, but in those times, women were only accepted as Obgyn and Pediatricians (like my doctor was).
Witches, Midwives, and Nurses is a feminist work from the 1970s encouraging women to enter medicine. Please keep that date in mind since things have changed over time and some of the percentages may be different. Although it is not specifically about witches, it is a resource for anyone interested in women's history in medicine and how witch hunts directly influenced women's careers. The book's original edition contains some errors, but the second edition, which includes an insightful introduction, corrects these mistakes. Despite its inaccuracies, the book remains an interesting history of feminine healers.
Before the rise of male medical professionals, women were the primary healers in the Western world. Women were exceptionally skilled in herbalism and often better at treating patients than their male counterparts. The book argues that the political and religious turmoil of the time led to the persecution of these women. Many women accused of witchcraft were not witches but skilled healers who were a threat to the male-dominated medical establishment. I mean, seriously, what sick person would go to a doctor and have their blood sucked by leeches (a common remedy of the time) when they could visit the local healer and get some herbs instead? It's easy to see where the male-only doctors might feel threatened.
The professional takeover of healthcare in Europe and the United States occurred before there was any absolute scientific superiority of the practicing professionals. The book debunks the myths that suggest men were more suited for the intelligent, empirical approach demanded by scientific medicine and women were better suited for nurturing and curing. Instead, the authors argue that the professional takeover of healthcare was part of a class struggle. Lay healers were frequently the only healers for the poor and women, and they were an autonomous group in the people's subculture. However, the rise of professional doctors depended upon the wealthy and powerful in society. These elites could make or influence laws that certified a particular group as "professional" and outlawed all others. As a result, most professionals identify with the needs of the dominant elite rather than the people's.
The book describes how the witch hunts in medieval Europe were well-organized campaigns initiated, financed, and executed by the Church and State. Sponsored by the elite, governments, and religious organizations killed millions of witches, and 85% were women. One of the main targets of the witch hunts was the autonomous lay healers, known as "wise women" by the people but "witches" by the authorities. The growth of commerce and towns led to the foundation of universities in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The universities produced the professionals the new middle class needed, which was emerging then. This development ultimately led to the suppression of women's traditional healing practices.
Ehrenreich and English point out that health care in Western Europe is less male-dominated or professionally oriented than in the United States. For example, 24% of doctors in England are women, whereas, in the United States, only 7% are. Midwifery is also essential to the medical scene in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and France. In England, 80% of all births are delivered by midwives, often in the mother's home. However, midwifery has virtually been outlawed in the United States since the early 1900s.
In conclusion, Witches, Midwives, and Nurses is a short but powerful book examining women's rise and fall in medicine. Although it contains some inaccuracies, it remains a valuable resource for anyone interested in women's healthcare history. My only caveat is the lack of citing. The authors include a bibliography for some basic information, but a good portion of the book needs more credible sourcing. I find this book fascinating and would've loved to read further on some of the talking points. However, this book is primarily a pamphlet, not a research paper, so I can excuse it.
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