It is to Cleghorn’s credit that she acknowledges atrocities, such as experiments on American slaves to develop the field of gynecology, as well as the lack of informed consent given, for example, to Puerto Rican women in the development of the oral contraceptive. Cleghorn also acknowledges that when unpacking health outcomes in the US and UK, incorporating the disparate experiences of people of color is all too necessary.
While a global perspective would be illuminating, one understands the need for appropriate limitations for brevity’s sake. And as Cleghorn shows, this problem is ongoing and continues to be fought, often by other women.Ĭleghorn acknowledges in her introduction that her narrative, while broad and historical, is focused on Western medicine (mainly that of the UK and US). Whether it is the concept of women as weaker and inferior to men, the uterus as being the seat of all illnesses, or the undue burdens of chronic pain and autoimmune conditions, the system has always been stacked against women when it comes to receiving adequate medical care. The female body, long-held in a place of simultaneous mystique and disgust, is still poorly understood compared to the male body.
The theme, across countries and time periods, is centered on disbelief. Elinor Cleghorn’s Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World is an intriguing exploration of the history of women’s health, specifically how women are perceived as individuals and members of a larger healthcare system.
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