The Doctor Was a Woman: Stories of the First Female Physicians on the Frontier

Scriptwriter/comedian Enss follows up Doctor Wore Petticoats with 10 more accounts of women healers who plied their trade during the early days of American frontier settlement. Women physicians encountered predictable resistance in the East, but out West, healers of Western medicine were scarce, offering these new physicians the chance to practice their skills in the community. Not surprisingly, women doctors faced criticism because people doubted their abilities and many considered a woman clinician to be “unwomanly.” However, Enss illuminates how their boldness and persistence earned them respect from frontier patients and other clinicians. At the end of each chapter, there’s a case study report written by that doctor on some aspects of her clinical experience, including plastic surgery, dentistry, autopsies, reproductive illnesses, and others. Despite its strengths, the book’s profiles lack an integrated discussion that address the more general struggles for acceptance these women faced, which would have enhanced the book’s utility as a historical text.