@article {Handmedhum-2019-011705, author = {Catherine Hand}, title = {Sarah Orne Jewett{\textquoteright}s depictions of women in a changing medical profession: Nan Prince and Almira Todd}, elocation-id = {medhum-2019-011705}, year = {2019}, doi = {10.1136/medhum-2019-011705}, publisher = {Institute of Medical Ethics}, abstract = {Sarah Orne Jewett, who lived from 1849 to 1909, witnessed a revolution in medicine that led to the formation of the medical profession as it is recognised today. By comparing two of the author{\textquoteright}s works, one written at the outset of her career and the other written much later, this paper discusses how Jewett{\textquoteright}s views about women{\textquoteright}s role in medicine changed and developed. In the first novel, A Country Doctor, a young Jewett celebrates the new-found power of scientific medicine in the period directly after germ theory was widely adopted. The author depicts a female physician as a pioneer bravely breaking into a male-dominated field. Later, in The Country of the Pointed Firs, Jewett{\textquoteright}s depiction of a female medical practitioner is much more nuanced{\textemdash} the matured writer{\textquoteright}s views are accompanied by discrete but deep-seated criticisms of medical ideology as she saw it developing. The comparison of these novels gives us insight into Jewett{\textquoteright}s world, and leaves questions for readers today. Most importantly, how should women today approach traditional medicine given the discipline{\textquoteright}s deeply misogynist roots? Jewett{\textquoteright}s unique perspectives serve as a catalyst for this discussion.}, issn = {1468-215X}, URL = {https://mh.bmj.com/content/early/2019/10/14/medhum-2019-011705}, eprint = {https://mh.bmj.com/content/early/2019/10/14/medhum-2019-011705.full.pdf}, journal = {Medical Humanities} }