WOMEN HEALERS

From the editor: WOMEN HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HEALERS, but not every society has been able to accept them in that role. Once revered as powerful and necessary for the health of their communities, women healers suffered severe setbacks with the ascendance of male-centered religious and political systems.

Drawing on primary sources to offer a provocative reconstruction of the history of women's healing practices, Elisabeth Brooke argues that the medieval image of the healer as witch was deliberately constructed by Church officials to discredit women's powers. In its place she provides a more accurate picture of these innovative, compassionate, and capable practitioners.

Beginning with legends of mythological goddesses, WOMEN HEALERS celebrates some of the determined and inspired women in medicine from ancient Egypt to the present day. The author recognizes both well-known and more obscure contributors to the history of healing women, including Trotula of Salerno, an eleventh-century midwife and professor of medicine; Hildegard of Bingen, a medieval healer, saint, and prolific writer; Sophia of Mechlenburg, who promoted women-centered childbirth practices despite serious opposition; Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to be trained in U.S. medical schools; and Sophia Jex-Blake, a feminist physician who stirred up the male medical establishment in her quest for women's access to medical knowledge. Elisabeth Brooke's entertaining and informative account restores these talented women to their rightful place in the historical record.

A professional herbalist and healer who carries on the tradition of women's medicine, Elisabeth Brooke devotes herself to the study, practice, and preservation of women's ancient mysteries.

Pages: 168
Special Interest: Herbs, Alternative & Folk Medicine, Women's Study, Magick, WitchCraft, Wicca, Shamanism, Occult, Spells, Ceremony, Secret Societies, Ritual, Study & Practice, Religion, Culture.

Our Price: $12.95