This was so informative and such a good read! I don’t typically read books like this very often but I am glad that I did.

A series of vignettes about notable women in medicine. Good if you want to get an overview of women's history in the field.

A History of Women in Medicine and Medical Research is a well written and layman accessible collection of short biographies of women luminaries in the medical fields, written and curated by Dale Debakcsy. Released 3rd Nov 2022 in the UK (due out 15th Dec elsewhere) by Pen & Sword on their History imprint, it's 224 pages and is/will be available in hardcover format. 

The biographies are arranged in roughly chronological order, from Peseshet (~27th century BCE) to Dr. Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) and cover a gratifyingly large range of specialties and subjects. The subjects are from all geographical areas, not just well born women from Europe and North America.

Although it's not annotated and there are no chapter notes, this is a readable and fascinating look at some of the contributions of women over the last millennia to furthering the sciences, especially in medicine and biotech. It's completely accessible for readers of roughly teen to adult ages. The author has included an abbreviated bibliography, and there's an included index. It's not lavishly illustrated, but there is a chapter with interesting black and white photos at the end of some of the biography subjects.

Five stars. It would make a superlative choice for public and school library acquisition, gift giving, and home use.  

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I loved reading this ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) so much I pre-ordered it! Eye-opening, superbly written, and well-researched. I cannot think of higher praise for a non-peer-reviewed non-fiction written for a general audience. I can’t wait for my copy to arrive so I can re-read it!

A History of Women in Medicine and Medical Research: Exploring the Trailblazers of Stem is broken down into several chapters, each one focusing on a specific woman, her personal background or life story, and her professional career in the sciences. The book progresses chronologically from the 16th century up to the near present, ending in the 1970s.

Each chapter ends with a section devoted to further reading and sources. While the book lacks citations and formal references, these inclusions are especially valuable. This kind of historiography is difficult to discover without a significant investment of time and effort making Debakcsy’s book all the more useful and appealing. I do not mind admitting this is a key reason why I have chosen to purchase my own copy.

These are not long or exhaustive studies of each individual; these historiographical sections allow the reader to explore further. That said, the brevity of each chapter is not a detraction. These are easily digestible chapters, perfect for classroom use or as readings for an undergraduate course. The chapters capture all they need to, leaving the reader satisfied but curious for more.

The women themselves are fascinating subjects, not only for their contributions to STEM, but also for their perseverance and resilience in the face of class, gender, and racial prejudices. Many of the women derive from the upper classes, but a significant number of them are working- or middle-class. Some were immigrants or enslaved (or lived just outside that category). Many had to break with their families to pursue their dreams. In many cases these women knew or knew of one another, interacted closely or within similar professional circles. A cohort of pioneering women in these fields is visible in the 19th century, particularly in the fields of medicine.

While the majority of women examined and brought to light in DeBakcsy’s book are white, European or American, there are also significant chapters focusing on women of color in the Western world. These are mostly (but not exclusively) black women who broke academic and professional ceilings.

This is a fantastic book for the classroom and any library (academic and home, alike). I cannot wait for my copy to arrive!

I really enjoyed this book as i loved learning about the strong influence that women have had in the world of STEM. I studied pharmaceutical analysis with forensics in college and i was always interested in womens contribution to science as a whole and what type of treatment they received from society while trying to prove their equality amongst the extremely male dominated science community. I also enjoyed the fact that the historical links were short and to the point and i would love to read another book like this in the near future.

I loved this book. The writing is crisp and well-paced, with some well-placed lightness. By necessity, the biographical profiles are short but this allows more women to be discussed. I also liked the very short snippets of the women who did not have longer entries. The book, aside from being highly informative, was fun to read. There was a lot of clever wording and some absolutely brilliant writing, and I would read these passages multiple times. I also enjoyed DeBakcsy’s discussions of further readings after each chapter, where one specific reading was discussed in a bit of detail, as opposed to the long lists usually found in books. Overall this was a great read. Thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword, Pen & Sword History for the advance reader copy.

'A History of Women in Medicine and Medical Research" is a fast-paced panorama of women doctors and researchers dating from antiquity up to the present-day.

Author Dale DeBakcsy presents a quite thorough accounting of women's role in medicine. I found it fascinating that from the days of antiquity up until the early modern, women were a vital force in medicine. But then things changed...men began to steadily push women to the sidelines, so much so that even in the field of midwifery, they wanted to take over. Which I found to be ridiculous!

I find it interesting when a male author writes a book pertaining to women's history/issues. I always expect a patronizing tone to permeate the work. Thankfully, that doesn't happen in this book., which I greatly appreciate. It was definitely an informative and enlightening read, to see how far women have come (although clearly not far enough) since the 1950s.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.