Women in White Coats

A really good and informative incite into the struggles these women have faced in their journey to become doctors. The bias and trials endured and the determination shown gives encouragement to women of today.

Women in White Coats brings home both how much pioneer women also needed to be the more privileged kinds of women (for example, having a wealthy family and not needing to work) and at least one parent or other family member on their side, but also how these women weren't entirely alone. The power of a group of women supporting in each other along individual lonely roads should not be underestimated, but neither should the obstacles they faced and therefore how poor or non-white or disabled women, for example, would have had no chance against the institutional and individual pressure and discrimination on all sides.

I loved that Women in White Coats delved into the stories of a small number of women, which revealed how much influence individual circumstance and luck have when the odds (and society) are against you.

I really enjoyed this biography of three pioneering female doctors. I'd heard of the Edinburgh Seven before, but this easy-to-read, in-depth history gave me a much greater insight into the fight for women to be recognised as medical practitioners in the 1800s.

I've read a few women in medicine books recently which take a much wider, thematic approach to the subject, so it was really nice to focus in on a few individuals for a change. It was interesting to see how the personalities of these three women had almost as much impact as their political beliefs, and while Campbell is a little starry-eyed about her subjects, she doesn't omit their flaws.

Informative, personable and engaging, Women in White Coats is a book I'd recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about feminist pioneers.

'Women in White Coats' is a well-researched book that describes the struggles the first women in both America and the United Kingdom went through in order to gain their professional medical accreditation. Olivia Campbell also provides historical context throughout so the reader gains a better understanding of why so many barriers waylaid their journey.

Given that women throughout history have often been the nurturers and caregivers for both their families and communities, it seems ludicrous that they were ousted from this role through the professionalisation of medical care. Worse, Campbell points out that, 'medicine for men of the time [19th Century], was the profession you went into after showing no particular aptitude for anything else'. To that end, 'medical students had a reputation for being rather wild'. No wonder men were so keen to keep the doors to medical schools closed to women! These pioneering women of medicine showed a dedication not only to learning their craft over a number of years but also as activists in the face of adversity.

Olivia Campbell's book takes us through the journey of these key women; their successes, struggles, and tidbits of their personal lives. Campbell not only concludes how fortunate women are to have benefited from their campaigning, but how humanity has benefited from the numerous discoveries women within the medical profession have made. While the overall story is both illuminating and inspiring, the pace at times is bogged down with unnecessary detail.