Woman As Healer by Jeanne Achterberg

 

Woman As Healer

by

Jeanne Achterberg

Often as I am researching my family history I run across a woman who was a nurse or a midwife.  These women always catch my eye and often are the ones that I choose to write a biographical sketch about.  In order to understand the world in the various time frames these women practiced their healing skills I wanted to read some background information.  Jeanne Achterberg's book Woman as Healer did a perfect job for me of providing some of that back ground.  She writes of the western experience and her book was written in the 1990s so some of her conclusions are dated, but the book covers the history of women in medicine from the earliest times to the late 20th Century.  It is as in-depth as a text book and not everyone will want to dive into this book but it was perfect for my needs.  There is a lack of material on this subject. Especially in the area of pioneer frontier folk medicine from the 18th and 19th century.  Although I will keep looking for more information,  I am sure Jeanne Achterberg's book is one I will return to as a source time and time again.   Please click on the book title and author's name above for more information and enjoy the video that follows.