Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers (Contemporary Classics)

As we watch another agonizing attempt to shift the future of health care in the United States, we are reminded of the longevity of this crisis, and how firmly entrenched we are in a system that doesn't work. Witches, Midwives, and Nurses , first published by The Feminist Press in 1973, is an essential book about the corruption of the medical establishment and its historic roots in witch hunters. In this new edition, Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English have written an entirely new chapter that delves into the current fascination with and controversies about witches, exposing our fears and fantasies. They build on their classic exposé on the demonization of women healers and the political and economic monopolization of medicine. This quick history brings us up-to-date, exploring today's changing attitudes toward childbirth, alternative medicine, and modern-day witches. Barbara Ehrenreich is author of the New York Times bestsellers Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch , and, most recently, This Land is Their Land . Deirdre English , the former editor of Mother Jones , is a professor in the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. Witches, Midwives, and Nurses examines how women-led healing was delegitimized to make way for patriarchy, capitalism, and the emerging medical industry. As we watch another agonizing attempt to shift the future of healthcare in the United States, we are reminded of the longevity of this crisis, and how firmly entrenched we are in a system that doesn't work. First published by the Feminist Press in 1973, Witches, Midwives, and Nurses is an essential book about the corruption of the medical establishment and its historic roots in witch hunters. In this new and updated edition, Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English delve into the current fascination with and controversies about witches, exposing our fears and fantasies. They build on their classic exposé on the demonization of women healers and the political and economic monopolization of medicine. This quick history brings us up-to-date, exploring today's changing attitudes toward childbirth, alternative medicine, and modern-day witches. First published by the Feminist Press in 1973, Witches, Midwives & Nurses is an essential book about the corruption of the medical establishment and its historic roots in the demonizing of women healers. With insight and originality, the authors have woven together stories about the witch hunts of the Middle Ages, the emergence of the Popular Health Movement, and an analysis of the contemporary state of medicine in relation to women's rights. In a new introduction written for this special edition, Ehrenreich and English discuss how this crucial text emerged, how much has changed, and how "for all our gains, we clearly have our work cut out for us." --from back cover. Witches, Midwives and Nurses, first published by the Feminist Press in 1973, is an essential book about the corruption of the medical establishment and its historic roots in witch-hunts. In this new edition, Ehrenreich and English add an entirely new section delving into the current fascination with and controversies about witches, exposing our fears and fantasies. They build on their classic expose of the demonization of women healers, and the political and economic monopolization of medicine As we watch another agonizing attempt to shift the future of health care in the United States, we are reminded of the longevity of this crisis, and how firmly entrenched we are in a system that doesn't work. **Barbara Ehrenreich**is author of the__New York Times__bestsellers__Nickel and Dimed__and__Bait and Switch__, and, most recently,__This Land is Their Land__.