Through the ages women in medicine have played an important role in
shaping how we treat and care for women today. In older times medicine
women also known as wise women were whom the villagers would go to for
treatment of and herbs to cure what was ailing them. The care that
women in medicine provided was rooted in helping and healing. Quite
different from a man’s role in medicine during the same time period
when men were known as sawbones.
Women
in medicine have since the beginning of time been helping woman through
and during labor and bringing children into the world. This is a role
that they continue to fulfill in the present day and it is still known
by the name midwife. There was a time in recent history when women
predominantly had a doctor care for them when they became pregnant.
Today, a large amount of woman are seeking the more natural and
holistic care that a midwife provides to her patients.
Women
in medicine have dominated the nursing profession since the beginning –
before it was official known as nursing. From the time when hospitals
were staffed by nuns who played the role of nurse to today when the
majority of nurses are still women. That is beginning to change with
more and more men deciding to pursue a career in nursing. This is still
a relatively new development and will still take time to change our
definition of a nurse. It is no longer a female dominated profession.
This is very similar to a time when women in medicine were not allowed
to become doctors – it was considered an all-man profession. Today, we
hold no biases towards a male or female doctor. They are all equal, it
has been a long time coming but it is here.