The running joke in Europe for centuries was that anyone in a hurry to die should call a doctor. As far back as ancient Greece, physicians were notorious for administering painful and often fatal treatments – and charging for the privilege. For the most effective care, the ill and injured turned to the women in their lives. This system endured for centuries but was gone in less than a hundred years.

Contrary to the common narrative, medicine did not improve during the Scientific Revolution. Yet somehow, between 1650 and 1740, the roles of the domestic female healer and the physician were reversed. The woman, once trusted and capable, became the ineffective, potentially dangerous quack, while the man was elevated to the knowledgeable, trustworthy expert. The medical profession normalised the idea of paying for what had once been freely provided at home, laying the foundation for Big Pharma and today's global for-profit healthcare system.

In The Apothecary's Wife, Karen Bloom Gevirtz challenges the myths surrounding the triumph of science and uncovers the fascinating truth about this transformation. Drawing from a wealth of archival material, Gevirtz presents an extraordinary cast of characters who brought about this shift. She also examines the values of domestic medicine in response to modern health crises, such as the eradication of smallpox, and explores what lessons we can learn from those early practices.

Before modern medicine, the answer to illness was not a doctor’s prescription but ‘recipes’ passed down from mother to daughter. These remedies, born of trial and error, were often rooted in efficacy. For example, willow bark, a popular remedy for pain relief, contains acetylsalicylic acid – better known today as aspirin. Gevirtz reveals a world where, before the Scientific Revolution, these recipes were considered public property. Women willingly shared their knowledge with neighbours and the wider community, contributing to a culture of mutual care.

This communal system is starkly contrasted in the book with the later development of the pharmaceutical industry, where medicines such as insulin were patented and made available only to those who could afford them. Gevirtz charts how healing, once performed freely by women, was usurped by men who took medicine out of the kitchen and into the laboratory. By the mid-1770s, the kitchen garden had become the domain of women, while the physic garden became a male preserve. As men recognised the potential for profit in medicine, what had once been free became a commodity. To protect that commodity, men further marginalised female healers by employing technical language and writing prescriptions in codes, making the practice of medicine more exclusive and less accessible.

In The Apothecary's Wife, Gevirtz offers a revelatory history of the gendered transformation of medicine and its implications for both the past and the present.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now
A more extensive review will follow. Many thanks to the publisher

This book contained so many interesting facts about the history of medicine and the changing cultures surrounding it. I found it fascinating to learn how attitudes changed towards the study and the practice of medicine throughout the years, and the factors which influenced these changes.

It was well researched and well written and overall was a thoroughly enjoyable and educational read.

Thank you NetGalley for providinge me with this E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book gives us the look back at the medicine and apothecary, and it was really interesting to see how they progressed and changed during the centuries. Well written and nicely summarized in my opinion. However sometimes the author looked at the historical situations through modern lenses and maybe was more subjective than objective.
In total I liked the book and was interested whole time reading it.
Would recommned
4 stars from me

I really enjoyed this book, particularly about the role of women in medicinal care. It's well-researched and an excellent addition to history on this subject.

I'm sorry but this a DNF for me.
This book is heavy on modern feminism preaching. The author is looking at history through the lenses of modern feminism, interpreting everything by modern standards. This is exactly what we should not be doing. Here's a quote:
"That is not to say that print culture in England ignores women, far from it. Male authors are writing books for women, some of them explaining how to do domestic things (mansplaining in print began early)." - Mansplaining? Males were writing books, because they were better educated, so they were considered better writers, they had better access to things like paper, ink, and quail. And whatś more important they had more free time than women, so I wouldn`t say it's the mansplaining case here.
Another quote:
"William Jervis's -A Choice Manual- became an early salvo in the war against women for control of pharmaceutical knowledge and distribution. He acknowledged the power and authority traditionally granted women, their recipes, and their recipe books, but only to diminish them by sexualizing women's knowledge, by making it exotic and rare, and by nudging it into the male domain. He also branded the expert knowledge of food and medicine preparation in the book (which had been communal) as something secret that he had the responsibility to unlock - and to charge for."
William Jervis has printed the Countess of Kent recipe book titled: A Choice Manual of Rare and Select Secrets in Physick and Chyrurgery Collected and Practised by the Right Honourable, the Countesse of Kent, Late Deceased. We don´t know why he decided to print it. Maybe he was motivated by money, maybe he wanted to share valuable knowledge. We don't know, but to say it was the beginning of WAR against women is way too far. What control? Sexualizing knowledge? What? Later in the book, we see more of this... I don't know, let's say fact interpretations.
I'm sorry but this is not what I expected at all. I was hoping to see history, domestic life, and women in the past.

Gosh, this was so interesting. The recipes handed down from woman to woman were effective because they had been used for centuries and helped anyone who needed it , that was always the way. This is the story of how that help ,taken out the hands of women, became a commodity that could be sold to only those who could afford it. Fascinating.

Growing up, most individuals are likely to have received medical advice from a family member, friend, colleague, or acquaintance. My grand-mother’s advice for promoting bowel movements was to dissolve a teaspoon of Epsom salts into a shot of tea. My mother’s advice for a stye of the eye was to rub a gold ring on it. A cousin’s advice for abdominal cramping was to apply castor oil to the abdomen, wrap yourself in gladwrap, place a towel over the top, and lastly, apply heat. We may not have the same sort of medicinal recipes that get handed down from generation to generation, but some of the anecdotal advice certainly does. I have always been, however, skeptical of such advice. But, then I will go to a doctor (a complete stranger) and take medications containing ingredients I know nothing about, for an illness that I may or may not have. Previously, I haven’t given this topic much thought. But, my latest book, The Apothecary’s Wife: The Hidden History of Medicine and How it Became a Commodity by Karen Bloom Gevirtz has certainly got me pondering this very topic. A huge thank you to Head of Zeus and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

Bloom Gevirtz starts the reader's journey with the discovery of a book at Chawton House. The beautiful Chawton House – a stunning Elizabethan manor house that belonged to Jane Austen’s brother Edward. In fact, Jane, her sister Cassandra, and their mother, lived just down the road at what is now known as the Jane Austen House Museum. Apart from its Austen links though, Chawton House is also home to a library which contains a large and unique collection of women’s writing from the 17th to 19th centuries. It is in this library where Bloom Gevirtz discovers a text which gives the inspiration for this book.

Throughout The Apothecary’s Wife, readers learn, or are reminded of, the vast changes and developments that have occurred in the field of medicine; including the creation, sharing, and management of recipes/medicines. Bloom Gevirtz draws on a plethora of primary and secondary sources to piece together the journey medicines have taken from being primarily managed by women in the household and shared throughout communities and passed down the generations, to being privatised, hidden, and, in many cases unavailable to countless individuals who could benefit from it.

This book is well written, thoroughly researched, and is certainly food for thought. For fellow lovers of the Tudor and Regency periods, these both make appearances within the study as well. The Apothecary’s Wife: The Hidden History of Medicine and How it Became a Commodity by Karen Bloom Gevirtz is a fascinating look at the history of medicine. I would recommend this book to individuals with an interest in women’s history, and the history of medicine.

A fascinating account of the development of medicine in the 1600s and 1700s. The usurping of the pivotal role women played in medicine and healing to the boy’s club mentality that took over. Very interesting historical record. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

So interesting!! I have always been fascinated by herbal/natural medicine and its history, the book was very well researched and it made for a deeply entertaining read!

A fascinating delve into the world of medicine from past times which particularly explores the role of women and the way they practised and passed down their remedies as they did culinary recipes. There are plenty of anecdotes and individual stories and a wealth of information and sources, the amount of research done to bring us this information is very evident. I studied the history of medicine and then later forensics so this piqued my interest on many counts. I loved the explanations of the old remedies and the basis of modern pharmaceuticals such as the links between the constituent chemical make up and modern equivalent eg salicylic acid extracted from willow bark for,ing the basis of aspirin (I remember doing this particular experiment in A level chemistry lab). I felt the language used and explanation given were very inclusive and accessible to all and not over explained or patronising which is a definite bonus and prior knowledge is not required. There were also plenty of nuggets of information I hadn’t been previously aware of, despite having some experience in the areas. The style is gentle storytelling and is engaging. A great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.75 stars rounded up.

I really enjoyed this deep dive into this history of medicine and apothecary practices. It felt very accessible both in tone and writing, and it kept me reading even when I encountered unknown territory.

I liked the tone of the book. It struck a good balance between being engaging and embodying a lightness while remaining serious, respectful and well-researched.

There was also nice dichotomy throughout the book between the economic and social exchange of medicine. It was especially interesting to see
the development of medicine from shared resource to guarded commodity, and the role of women in this shift.

The book reinforces that women's work was valuable; but ultimately controlled by men due to cultural capital. The role of women in shaping and maintaining the role of "village healer" and the heart of the home was particularly interesting - it recontextualised an understanding I had been taught through academia that we have only men to thank for medicinal development.

I particularly enjoyed the highlighting of the community aspect of recipes and medicine as a shared resource.

There was a good throughline of discussions on capital and greed also being compounded with the eradication of domestic medicine. To reclaim women's medicinal narratives is to reclaim the intent and purpose of medicine; it recentres the way we perceive the injustice of monopolised medication.

I should start by saying that this book is clearly not aimed at me. As an ageing white male I like to think I am reasonably enlightened and believe absolutely in equality and inclusion. So much so that I wish we lived in a world where positive discrimination was unnecessary, but sadly we don't. If I find this book hard to empathise with sometimes, I hope that is for good reason - I simply cannot comprehend how or why anybody should think that women (or any other groups) should be any less valuable or worth listening to.

Karen Bloom Gevirtz has researched her subject extensively and her work brings a lot of valuable insights to a topic that is otherwise very much under-researched. So while for the above reasons the continuing effort to right the wrongs of centuries of misogyny do grate with me a little (and detract from the readability, frankly) I persevered. Not least because there is a lot to learn in this book and it rewards the effort. For those more committed to the feminist cause than I feel able (or qualified) to be then this is unlikely to be an issue - except that it might generate outrage in parts at the inequities of the past and quite rightly so.

I spend much of my time supporting research into rare diseases, so the history of medicine in all its glory is a subject of interest to me and this book delivers a new slant that I knew little about. My world, funnily enough, is one that is dominated by female scientists and activists and that in some ways shapes my world view - many of my heroes in this world are women. I have no hesitation recommending this book to those interested in feminism and equality but most particularly for those interested in the history and development of medicine - it is an important contribution.

In Karen Bloom Gevirtz's book The Apothecary's Wife, the history of medicine is looked at again to show how modern medicine, which was controlled by men, pushed out women's home healing practices. In spite of what most people think, the Scientific Revolution did not make medicine better. As cultural views changed, female therapists were seen as fakes and doctors were seen as experts and paid accordingly.

Gevirtz disproves the idea of medical growth by showing how making healthcare more commercialised led to the system we have now, which is based on making money. This well-researched and thought-provoking book shows how women were ignored in early medical care and looks at how we think about healthcare now.

Anyone interested in the history of medicine, gender studies, or the start of Big Pharma will find The Apothecary's Wife very interesting to read. It shows how healthcare has changed over time. This well-written history helps us understand how medicine has changed over time and what we can learn from it.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved how it took us all the way back to the beginning of apothecary with examples of what people would use.
I could not put this down as there is just so much information to indulge on.
I love everything related to the medical field as I am a nurse myself. This books takes us on a lovely trip back in time, making us realise how lucky we are that people back then tried and tested things to figure out what could help.

This book was accessible, engaging and written in a nice way that captivated me. I think that this book will please people who love history and medicine blended in together. Everything was explained in a comprehensive way and the examples along the way enhanced the journey in time.

I would definitely recommend this book.

A fascinating and accessible exploration of how the past has, and will continue to, influence modern medicine. The author managed to navigate around the topics without ever disparaging either traditional practices or contemporary methods.

A 4.5 star read. The Apothecary’s Wife is a well-researched and told non-fiction book about women’s role in medicine.
It is informative and engaging and leaves you with perspectives to consider when looking at the way medicine is today.

A must-read for anyone remotely interested in the interplay of woman, healing, and the history medicine.
Before modern medicine, what existed? The answer was ‘recipes’ handed down from mother to daughter. These recipes the result of trial and error, where a remedy that worked was worth recording. Intriguing, many of these herbal or herbaceous remedies had their roots (excuse the pun) in efficacy. For example, willow bark was administered for pain relief; and willow bark contains acetyl salicylic acid – better known as aspirin.
Ms Gevirtz reveals a fascinating world where, pre Scientific Revolution, these recipes were considered public property. Women gladly helped neighbours and the wider community, and shared their recipes to do this. This is contrasted later in the book with the discovery and patenting of insulin – available only to those that can afford it.
Ms Gervirtz charts how healing undertaken by women for free, was usurped by men who took medicines out of the kitchen and into the laboratory. As a result of the Scientific Revolution, by the mid 1770s the kitchen garden belonged to women, whilst the physic garden was a male preserve. As men began to realise they could make money from medicine, what had been free now cost money. Medicine had become a commodity. And to protect that commodity men further disenfranchised the female healers by the use of technical language and prescriptions written in cyphers.
But please don’t misunderstand. This is not a feminist or man-hating book. It is an account of a fascinating period in history when there was a seed change from free, community healing, to medicine for those that could pay.
I have no hesitation in highly recommending this readable book, perhaps best summed up in the words of William Harvey “What was once a science is now a trade.”
ARC received in exchange for an honest, unbiased review

Very well researched and presented - showing the history of medicine, and how the division between physicians and apothecaries became blurred, as well as the way that medicine went from being a shared domestic resource (mainly handled by women) to a commodity (mainly handled by men). It was really interesting seeing how the Scientific Revolution changed the way recipes/prescriptions were developed, the use of spin in the eighteenth century, and the way a quack was unmasked.

The book delves into the fascinating story of how eighteenth-century women incorporated the Scientific Revolution into their daily lives, shedding light on the pivotal role they played in transforming the way people approached medicine. It also explores how the Scientific Revolution catalyzed the shift from homemade remedies to professionally prescribed medications, a transformation that had far-reaching consequences for the healthcare system.

For centuries, the notion that anyone in a hurry to die should call the doctor was a running joke in Europe. Historically, physicians were notorious for administering painful and often fatal treatments and charging handsomely for their services. In contrast, women in people's lives were often the go-to source for effective treatments. This system persisted for hundreds of years before being replaced in less than a century.

The book reveals that the Scientific Revolution fundamentally altered the concept of medicine, transforming it from a household item to a commodity to be bought and sold. This shift led to the development of a for-profit healthcare system, which replaced the traditional system of women's domestic medicine. The current system is not natural, eternal, or inevitable; rather, it was created by people making specific choices and taking certain actions.

This book is not only a history of medicine but also an examination of the economic system that emerged around the circulation of medications as commodities. It is a critical analysis of one aspect of the development of Western capitalism, which has multiple strains.

The author is not anti-science, anti-medication, or anti-"modern" medications. Instead, the book offers a nuanced understanding of the past and its relevance to the present, allowing readers to make informed choices about the healthcare system.

The book is written in an accessible and engaging style, making it an enjoyable read for anyone interested in history, medicine, or the social and economic context of healthcare.