A History of Women in Medicine: Cunning Women, Physicians, Witches

by Sinéad Spearing

Overview

A study of the female healers of centuries past, and how they went from respected to reviled.
 
Witch is a powerful word with humble origins. Once used to describe an ancient British tribe known for its unique class of female physicians and priestesses, it grew into something grotesque, diabolical, and dangerous. A History of Women in Medicine reveals the untold story of forgotten female physicians, their lives, practices, and subsequent denomination as witches.
 
Originally held in high esteem in their communities, these women used herbs and ancient psychological processes to relieve the suffering of their patients, often traveling long distances, moving from village to village. Their medical and spiritual knowledge blended the boundaries between physician and priest. These ancient healers were the antithesis of the witch figure of today; instead they were knowledgeable therapists commanding respect, gratitude, and high social status.
 
In this pioneering work, Sinéad Spearing draws on current archeological evidence, literature, folklore, case studies, and original religious documentation to bring to life these forgotten healers. By doing so she also exposes the Church’s efforts to demonize them in the eyes of the world, leading female healers to be labeled witches and persecuted in the ensuing hysteria known today as the European witch craze.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526714312
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	11/12/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	168
Sales rank:	205,416
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Sinéad Spearing is a historian of psychology specializing in the research of obscure beliefs. She worked as a professional classical musician and teacher before returning to university to study psychology, achieving first-class honors. Author of Old English Medical Remedies, Sinéad also writes articles published in journals including those of the British Psychological Society and Mensa. When she is not delving into the supernatural aspects of religion and medicine Sinéad enjoys Tai Chi, playing the cello and spending time with her family in Kent.

Table of Contents

Special Thanks vii

Prologue ix

Chapter 1 From the dust of the ground 1

Chapter 2 Flesh on the Bones 6

Chapter 3 The 'Doctor's Bag' 12

Chapter 4 Magically Empowered 26

Chapter 5 Riddle me This 34

Chapter 6 Women only 45

Chapter 7 The Cult of the Goddess 54

Chapter 8 Daughters of Eve 63

Chapter 9 The Problem of Truth 73

Chapter 10 Smoke and Mirrors 81

Chapter 11 Physician to Witch 88

Chapter 12 Sacred Space and Christian Magic 98

Chapter 13 The Malleus Maleficarum 109

Chapter 14 Bessie's Tale (Cunning-Women on Trial) 118

Chapter 15 A Very British Tradition 128

Epilogue 136

Postscript 140

Bibliography 143

Index 145

Editorial Reviews

Comprised of fifteen instructive chapters, "A History of Women in Medicine: Cunning Women, Physicians, Witches" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an informative Prologue, Epilogue, and Postscript, as well as a two page Bibliography, and a three page Index. An altogether impressive and sustained work of seminal scholarship, "A History of Women in Medicine: Cunning Women, Physicians, Witches" is an extraordinary and exceptionally informative study that will be a welcome addition to any and all community, college, and university library Women's History collections, and a 'must' for the personal reading lists of non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Midwest Book Review