About the book
In the late nineteenth century, as Americans debated the “woman question,” a battle over the meaning of biology arose in the medical profession. Some medical men claimed that women were naturally weak, that education would make them physically ill, and that women physicians endangered the profession. Mary Putnam Jacobi (1842-1906), a physician from New York, worked to prove them wrong and argued that social restrictions, not biology, threatened female health.
Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America is the first full-length biography of Mary Putnam Jacobi, the most significant woman physician of her era and an outspoken advocate for women’s rights. Jacobi rose to national prominence in the 1870s and went on to practice medicine, teach, and conduct research for over three decades. She campaigned for co-education, professional opportunities, labor reform, and suffrage — the most important women’s rights issues of her day. Downplaying gender differences, she used the laboratory to prove that women were biologically capable of working, learning, and voting. Science, she believed, held the key to promoting and producing gender equality.
Carla Bittel’s biography of Jacobi offers a piercing view of the role of science in nineteenth-century women’s rights movements and provides historical perspective on continuing debates about gender and science today.
Editions of Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807832837
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807859476
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469606446
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469683935
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469684024
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890880086
Read an Excerpt
In the late nineteenth century, as Americans debated the “woman question,” a battle over the meaning of biology arose in the medical profession. Some medical men claimed that women were naturally weak, that education would make them physically ill, and that women physicians endangered the profession. Mary Putnam Jacobi (1842-1906), a physician from New York, worked to prove them wrong and argued that social restrictions, not biology, threatened female health.
Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America is the first full-length biography of Mary Putnam Jacobi, the most significant woman physician of her era and an outspoken advocate for women’s rights. Jacobi rose to national prominence in the 1870s and went on to practice medicine, teach, and conduct research for over three decades. She campaigned for co-education, professional opportunities, labor reform, and suffrage — the most important women’s rights issues of her day. Downplaying gender differences, she used the laboratory to prove that women were biologically capable of working, learning, and voting. Science, she believed, held the key to promoting and producing gender equality.
Carla Bittel’s biography of Jacobi offers a piercing view of the role of science in nineteenth-century women’s rights movements and provides historical perspective on continuing debates about gender and science today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America about?
In the late nineteenth century, as Americans debated the “woman question,” a battle over the meaning of biology arose in the medical profession. Some medical men claimed that women were naturally weak, that education would make them physically ill, and that women physicians endangered the profession. Mary Putnam Jacobi (1842-1906), a physician from New York, worked to prove them wrong and argued that social restrictions, not biology, threatened female health.
Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America is the first full-length biography of Mary Putnam Jacobi, the most significant woman physician of her era and an outspoken advocate for women’s rights. Jacobi rose to national prominence in the 1870s and went on to practice medicine, teach, and conduct research for over three decades. She campaigned for co-education, professional opportunities, labor reform, and suffrage — the most important women’s rights issues of her day. Downplaying gender differences, she used the laboratory to prove that women were biologically capable of working, learning, and voting. Science, she believed, held the key to promoting and producing gender equality.
Carla Bittel’s biography of Jacobi offers a piercing view of the role of science in nineteenth-century women’s rights movements and provides historical perspective on continuing debates about gender and science today.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America?
Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Gender studies, gender groups > Gender studies: women and girls
Where can I read a sample of Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807832837
How long is Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America and how many pages does it have?
Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America has 352 page(s)
Is Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Studies in Social Medicine
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America?
Carla Bittel
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807832837) and paperback(ISBN 9780807859476) and ebook(ISBN 9781469606446) and ebook(ISBN 9781469683935) and ebook(ISBN 9781469684024) and pdf(ISBN 9798890880086)
Where can I buy Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America from below
Where can I buy Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Politics of Medicine in Nineteenth-Century America?