Dusenbery writes about the institutional systems that are against women-from philosophy to pharmacy to popular culture-in an accessible, engaging, and organized narrative.ĭusenbery, diagnosed in her twenties with rheumatoid arthritis, is thankful for the relative ease of her diagnosis. Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sickis a fearless account of the incompetence of our culture when it comes to treating women properly.

And though today’s sexist diagnoses may not be as outright as the concept of hysteria, misdiagnoses are prominent as ever, diluting the life-ruining effects of chronic pain and fatigue, autoimmune disorders, fibromyalgia, and endometriosis, just to name a few. Author Maya Dusenbery, executive editor of Feministing, brings forth a slew of modern-day proof that suspicion of women by scientists and medical practitioners is still alive. While these early examples of mistrust towards women’s medical concerns may seem archaic, that’s all they are: early examples. He said if a restless uterus roves around the body, “prompt marriage is a recommended cure.” Otherwise, a womb that “remains barren too long after puberty” is sure to cause trouble. Even Plato noted the burdensome issues of a wandering womb. In that time, hysteria, from the Greek word for uterus, was to blame for common inconveniences such a menstrual cramps and dizziness, as well as life-altering misfortunes like the sense of suffocation and paralysis.

“The womb is the origin of all diseases,” reads a Hippocratic medical text from 5th century BC.

Doing Harm by Maya Dusenbery