(5 / 5) Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine – Olivia Campbell
‘Women in White Coats’ fit perfectly into my ‘Non-Fiction’ November reading! This very readable history of the first women MDs was super interesting but also mind-blowing in the resistance women faced (and unfortunately, still face) in both the academy and society as they were proving that they too had the ability, intellect, and perseverance necessary to become accomplished medical doctors!
As I read this book, I found myself confounded and appalled by the lengths to which men would go to keep women out of the academy! The obstructionist tactics of the ‘powers that be’ in the academy and hospitals to prevent these women from obtaining their degrees were petty and vindictive and the grace with which the women faced these obstacles was downright amazing!! Olivia Campbell does an excellent job of bringing these women to life and expressing their individual personalities throughout the book. She also weaves their stories together in such a way that the reader gets insight into their interpersonal relationships with one another. The one issue I had reading this book is that several of the women’s names are the same so it was difficult at times to keep all of them straight in my mind.
If you liked ‘Radium Girls’ or ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ or are simply interested in learning about the trials and tribulations of the first women doctors, I highly recommend picking up this book!
Read on my friends!
-Haddi
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