Unwell Women
A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World
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Unwell Women
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Narrated by:
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Hanako Footman
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By:
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Elinor Cleghorn
About this listen
Medicine carries the burden of its own troubling history. Over centuries, women's bodies have been demonised and demeaned until we feared them, felt ashamed of them, were humiliated by them. But as doctors, researchers, campaigners and most of all as patients, women have continuously challenged medical orthodoxy. Medicine's history has always been, and is still being, rewritten by women's resistance, strength and incredible courage.
In this ground-breaking history Elinor Cleghorn unpacks the roots of the perpetual misunderstanding, mystification and misdiagnosis of women's bodies, illness and pain. From the 'wandering womb' of ancient Greece to today's shifting understanding of hormones, menstruation and menopause, Unwell Women is the revolutionary story of women who have suffered, challenged and rewritten medical misogyny. Drawing on Elinor's own experience as an unwell woman, this is a powerful and timely exposé of the medical world and woman's place within it.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2021 Elinor Cleghorn (P)2021 Orion Publishing GroupListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Seamlessly melding scholarship with passion, Unwell Women is the definition of unputdownable." (Telegraph)
"A richly detailed, wide-ranging and enraging history.... Unwell Women is not just a compelling investigation, but an essential one." (Observer)
"A passionate and indignant history." (The Times)
What listeners say about Unwell Women
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- meggie oliver
- 29-09-22
Really fascinating
Brilliant book, gained so much more knowledge about the history of women and medicine. Very well read too, thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Caroline
- 15-06-24
Necessary and painful listening
Any woman who has ever gone to a doctor with pain will recognise a lot in this.
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- Eleanor
- 08-03-23
A must must read!
Everyone must read this book! So insightful, so fascinating. At times so eye-opening and infuriating and difficult to listen to. But an absolute must, despite the shocking stories and examples.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nikki
- 11-07-23
Leaves a lasting impact
This book delves into deeply unsettling subject matter of the history of women’s pain, yet its power to inform and enlighten is undeniable. A must-read for all seeking knowledge and understanding. Its informative approach shines through, leaving a lasting impact. Highly recommended!
Listened to it on 1.2 speed and worked well
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Bridget M.
- 21-07-23
Amazing book. EVERYONE must read this
I did not know, you most probably will not know, we should all know, we need to know.
Expertly written and beautifully read this book is FANTASTIC
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- K. J. Kelly
- 11-11-24
Illuminating the development of medicine
Illuminating sequential look at the development of medicine and healthcare.
4.5 stars.
This made me quite angry, I must say. And upset. Hearing some of the stories of what 'patients' were put through, sometimes in the name of experimentation and progress, sometimes through lack of care or even neglect.
But it's history. It can't be changed. But it can be heard and remembered.
Some of this may already been fairly common knowledge, but for me the building up of the story and how attitudes have changed over time, alongside medical knowledge was the key to this book, and to what I would take away from it.
It's so shocking in some ways to see how women and men, especially their pain and reasons for their health problems have been seen in society and in particular the medical establishment over the centuries.
And for the author to bring her own personal tale at the end to readers, on how misdiagnosis and false assumptions, even today, led to years of pain and problems, well, it shows we still have some way to go.
But as a history, it's fascinating. And really does help tie things together in my mind on the development of medicine and changing attitudes over time.
Hard to listen to, but important to hear.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sarah Troke
- 30-08-21
Excellent book!
I loved this book, it provides a highly interesting and engaging overview of the history of women and medicine and the ways that medicine is not made for women and therefore often fails them. I really appreciated how intersectional this book was and especially the discussion of trans women at the beginning was very carefully written and very well done in my opinion.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 23-02-23
Life changing
This book should be compulsory reading for everyone. It has totally changed my whole outlook of how my body and my friend’s bodies have been treated by the medical establishment. I found myself having profound moments of deeply disturbing realisation.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 19-12-23
An important book!
An enlightening book to listen to, for women who are experiencing the lack of support in their medical needs it explains why they are struggling. For the rest (including the men in our lives) it shows just how women have been ignored, belittled or treated as small men for centuries.
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- Irene
- 20-10-21
Essential reading for women
I thoroughly enjoyed this intelligent, entertaining and highly informative book. Beautifully written and performed. The extensively researched history of the treatment of women’s health and well-being through the ages, which sadly shows that attitudes by male doctors to ‘difficult‘ women’s problems has not changed much over the centuries. A must read for anyone with a female body wishing to be more enlightened as to why we are so dismissed in our health concerns by the establishment, and should be prescribed reading for all the others!
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3 people found this helpful