A truly fascinating read. It's so important for us to understand just how fiercely the women who came before us fought for the rights we often take for granted today. Lydia Reeder's "The Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health" is meticulously researched, detailing the historical struggle of women fighting for their right to attend medical school at U.S. universities. It also highlights their battle to receive proper, scientifically-backed medical treatment. ...

I am so grateful for Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi, a woman who stayed true to the path her heart laid out for her—proving that women were capable of anything a man could do, and in some ways, even more. She pushed back, resisted, and marched forward, undeterred by any fears or worries that crept into the corners of her mind. I truly appreciated how thoroughly Lydia Reeder explored Dr. Jacobi's story in "The Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health," delving into ev...

In 1873, the Comstock laws made all forms of birth control illegal, and by 1880, nearly all states had outlawed abortion. No one confronted the fact that when embryos and fetuses were protected as fully human, the lives of women became dehumanized and incidental. This book, "The Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health" by Lydia Reeder, was both inspiring and infuriating. Unfortunately, we are getting closer to the world that Mary Putnam Jacobi lived in than ...

In *The Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health*, Lydia Reeder starts by painting a picture of the medical landscape in the United States during the mid-19th century, and women's place within it. Unsurprisingly, women were mostly just tolerated by some doctors in their relatively new roles as nurses (assisting during the Civil War). Some men believed women should be shielded from the horrors of wounds and unclothed male bodies. But a budding movement of women...

This is an interesting, informative, and well-written non-fiction book. It's thoroughly researched and packed with fascinating facts about women's health from the mid-to-late 19th century, vividly describing the groundbreaking achievements of Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi. Lydia Reeder does an excellent job weaving together medical facts, procedures, beliefs, and Dr. Jacobi's biography with the historical context of the time. If you're looking for compelling historical book reviews, I highly recommend ...

| 2/5 Stars | ★★☆☆☆Trigger Warnings for The Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health: Medical Misogyny, Gender Discrimination, Historical Injustice, Illness, Death, Emotional Trauma, Societal Oppression, Mental Health Struggles, Inequality, Medical ExperimentationThe Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health is a medical, nonfiction book by Lydia Reeder focusing on Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's life. In particular, we follow Dr. P...

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date: Dec. 3, 2024 Lydia Reeder’s second book, “The Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health” examines the history of women physicians, especially Mary Putnam Jacobi and her colleagues, and the challenges they had to overcome in order to be acknowledged in the medical field. If you're looking for insightfu...

“The Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health” is the history of a crusading doctor who embraced science over false narratives, hygiene and diet over cruel operations and procedures. Lydia Reeder's biography details how she fought for equal, co-education for women in medical schools and supported women’s suffrage. In a society based on systemic misogyny and male superiority, Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi forged an outstanding career, only to watch as men claimed her ...

I received a free copy of *The Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health*, by Lydia Reeder, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi was a woman born before her time. Men simply didn't want women doctors; they weren't welcome in most medical schools. Women were supposed to have children, not become doctors. Dr. Jacobi was admitted to Sorbonne Medical School in France, although she did have connections—her father ...

Okay, so going into "The Woman Who Defied Medicine: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi's Fight for Women's Health" I knew it wouldn't exactly be a feel-good read for a dude, but I dove in anyway. Lydia Reeder chronicles the story of Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi and other trailblazing women as they confront the medical patriarchy – and let me tell you, some of these guys were total jerks. We're talking legit psychos who performed experiments on Black women without anesthesia. Seriously messed up.Sadly, the writing...