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Summary and Reviews of The Doctors Blackwell by Janice Nimura

The Doctors Blackwell by Janice P. Nimura

The Doctors Blackwell

How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine

by Janice P. Nimura
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  • Critics' Consensus (7):
  • First Published:
  • Jan 19, 2021, 336 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2022, 352 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

Elizabeth Blackwell believed from an early age that she was destined for a mission beyond the scope of "ordinary" womanhood.

Though the world at first recoiled at the notion of a woman studying medicine, her intelligence and intensity ultimately won her the acceptance of the male medical establishment. In 1849, she became the first woman in America to receive an M.D. She was soon joined in her iconic achievement by her younger sister, Emily, who was actually the more brilliant physician.

Exploring the sisters' allies, enemies, and enduring partnership, Janice P. Nimura presents a story of trial and triumph. Together, the Blackwells founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, the first hospital staffed entirely by women. Both sisters were tenacious and visionary, but their convictions did not always align with the emergence of women's rights―or with each other. From Bristol, Paris, and Edinburgh to the rising cities of antebellum America, this richly researched new biography celebrates two complicated pioneers who exploded the limits of possibility for women in medicine. As Elizabeth herself predicted, "a hundred years hence, women will not be what they are now."

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Reviews

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I enjoyed reading about the lives and times of the Blackwell sisters, but found my interest waning in the middle of the book as Emily's story began to emerge more fully. Many of the problems she encountered were so similar to Elizabeth's that it felt repetitive. Adding to that, the author was able to locate Elizabeth's journals, so her thoughts and attitudes were well-documented; that level of detail seems to have been unavailable for Emily, giving her less depth. The Doctors Blackwell is recommended for readers who enjoy biographies, history, and books about trailblazing women. Reading groups will also find many good topics of conversation here...continued

Full Review (662 words)

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(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).

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Beyond the Book



Leeches in Medicine

The Doctors Blackwell, Janice P. Nimura's biography of Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell, explores the tools 19th-century physicians used to address their patients' needs. Many common ailments were believed to be caused by an excess of blood, and consequently removing some of a person's blood was thought to be efficacious; often doctors employed leeches for this purpose.

Most people have a passing familiarity with the leech — a slimy little invertebrate that attaches itself to a living body and obtains nourishment by sucking its host's blood. The leech is actually considered a segmented worm, and there are over 650 different species of them, living both on land and in water. On average, they range in size from under half an inch to 8 ...

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Read-Alikes

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