HIST 249 Chapter Notes - Chapter Reading: University Of Zurich
Document Summary
In the 18th century some women worked as doctresses and surgeonesses and received some form of similar training to male practitioners. When formal medical training began women were not admitted. In the 19th and 20th centuries women gained access to formal medical training. The role of nurses was redefined and shifted from solely domestic care to a combination of caring with more medical tasks. Doctors wanted to ensure that the right kind of women gained entry to the profession. Women belonged in the private sphere of the home providing a caring environment for husband and children. Jean-jacques rousseau glorified the domestic role and praised the values of selfless and devoted motherhood. Opposition to women doctors was not confined to medical journals but also expressed in novels which showed the folly of a young woman"s desire for a medical career. Middle class women fought for the right to go to universities and to enter professions.
