The Apothecary’s Wife By Karen Bloom Gevirtz — Review

This engaging book recounts how the deep problems in the current pharmaceutical and medical industries in the United States stem from changes that occurred centuries ago.

Before the Scientific Revolution began in the 1500s, medicine and healing was a domain that belonged solely to women. Based on recipes for herbal or herbaceous remedies that women developed through generations of trial-and-error and freely shared with their daughters, families, friends and nearby neighbors, these recipes were considered to be public property. Even today, we benefit from the legacy that these women left behind. For example, willow bark was administered for pain relief; and willow bark contains acetylsalicylic acid – aspirin.

This system of healing persisted for hundreds of years before it was replaced in less than a century with something that was radically different. Between 1650 and 1740, women were pushed out of their historic and traditional role by men who set about establishing the modern for-profit medical system. Using the exact same ingredients and recipes for their own medicines, “professional” apothecaries and physicians convinced the public that their remedies were superior to domestic medicines created by women. Within a short period of time, medicines were transformed from home remedies that were freely available to all into commodities that were available only to those who could afford them. This male-dominated medical and pharmaceutical industry fostered the development of a value system that prioritizes corporate economic health over human health.

Contrary to what most people believed, the Scientific Revolution did not improve the medicines of the time, but it did transform once trustworthy female healers into potentially dangerous quacks whereas men were elevated into knowledgeable and trustworthy experts. This book presents a critical analysis and nuanced insight into the past and the economic system that emerged when medications came to be viewed as commodities – and how that idea helped support the development and practice of so-called “modern” western medicine.

You will learn about this complex history and more in Karen Bloom Gevirtz’s new book, The Apothecary’s Wife: The Hidden History of Medicine and How It Became a Commodity (University of California Press, 2024; Amazon US / Amazon UK). This book is a timely reminder that the current greed-based healthcare system is a relatively recent man-made scheme. The author, a former professor of English, Gender Studies and Medical Humanities – expertise that will soon, no doubt, become illegal in the United States – and a scholar of seventeenth and eighteenth century British texts, is an excellent guide to lead us on our journey to enlightenment. Professor Gevirtz’s book uncovers the largely forgotten domestic origins of medical science, placing women at the center of that history.

This book is a rigorously researched economic, scientific and social history of an interesting time when freely available medicine changed to a commodity that was overseen, practiced and sold only to those who could afford it. This satisfying and readable book goes a long way towards explaining how we ended up where we are today, where profits are more important than peoples’ lives. Compelling and engaging (and sometimes outraging), this book presents an essential education for everyone interested in history, medicine, or in the social and economic contexts that gave rise to the modern healthcare system.

Highly recommended.

NOTE: I received a paperback uncorrected page proof of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. Additionally, as an Amazon Associate, I may possibly earn micropayments from qualifying Amazon purchases made via links in this piece.