The Apothecary's Wife

Economic, scientific and social history combine in this extraordinary, rigorously researched, revisionist account of the crucial role domestic medicine played in the past – and how it might point to a healthier future. * Paul Lay, author of Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of Cromwell’s Protectorate *A rich and pacey narrative history setting out the position of women during the commodification of medicine. * Sara Read, author of The Gossips’ Choice *Trenchant, witty, and erudite, The Apothecary’s Wife is a timely reminder that the profit-driven commodification of healthcare and medicine in our society is neither natural nor pre-ordained, but rather man-made. Gevirtz’s book uncovers the largely forgotten domestic origins of those sciences, centering women in that history. It’s a story everyone should know. * Jon Michaud, author of Last Call at Coogan’s: The Life and Death of a Neighborhood Bar *Truly splendid. Gevirtz not only creates a more nuanced history of medicine, but also makes a strong case that our medical practices today are not inevitable but the result of professional and institutional choices. A significant contribution to our understanding of medicine, economics, and gender. * Marilyn Francus, Professor Emerita of English at West Virginia University *Karen Bloom Gevirtz’ fascinating history of medicine shines a light on the forgotten stories of female physicians * The Telegraph *Karen Bloom Gevirtz excels at unearthing unexpected stories about sickness and death, about love and rivalry, about compassion and greed… The Apothecary’s Wife delivers serious messages about the evils of consumerism, but it is also a good read that exposes some quirky corners of 16th-, 17th- and 18th-century Britain. * Literary Review *

Karen Bloom Gevirtz is Professor of English and former co-director of Women and Gender Studies, specializing in gender and the language of science, at Seton Hall University. Gevirtz earned a BA in English from Brown University, where she was also pre-med and a research assistant in a neurochemistry lab. She has a PhD in British Literature and was awarded a Fellowship to the Folger Shakespeare Library – one of many funding awards she has received for her archival research. Internationally recognized for her scholarship on women and writing in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, she is the author of a number of academic articles and three academic books. Her work has also appeared in the HuffPost and the Wall Street Journal. She lives in New Jersey, USA.