The Apothecary's Wife : The Hidden History of Medicine and How It Became a Commodity by Karen Bloom Gevirtz

For the most effective treatment, the ill and injured went to the women in their lives.

As far back as ancient Greece, physicians were notorious for administering painful and often fatal treatments – and charging for the privilege. 

This system lasted hundreds of years. It was gone in less than a century. Contrary to the familiar story, medication did not improve during the Scientific Revolution.

Yet somehow, between 1650 and 1740, the domestic female and the physician switched places in the cultural consciousness: she became the ineffective, potentially dangerous quack, he the knowledgeable, trustworthy expert. The professionals normalized the idea of paying them for what people already got at home without charge, laying the foundation for Big Pharma and today’s global for-profit medication system. A revelatory history of medicine, The Apothecary’s Wife challenges the myths of the triumph of science and instead uncovers the fascinating truth.

Drawing on a vast body of archival material, Karen Bloom Gevirtz depicts the extraordinary cast of characters who brought about this transformation. She also explores domestic medicine’s values in responses to modern health crises, such as the eradication of smallpox, and what benefits we can learn from these events.

'This imaginative and empathetic book will probably not guide you to better sleep, but it will be a fine companion for the wakeful hours'GUARDIAN'A rich kaleidoscope of a book in which a series of visions emerge from the shadows'FINANCIAL TIMES'A celebration of the exuberance of night-time and a moving portrait of the dangers of the dark'THE TIMES'A beautifully written combination of personal reflection and broader thought . . .at once atmospheric and touching' Louise Doughty, author of Apple Tree Yard

Format:Paperback / softback 336 pages
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:Apollo
ISBN:9781803287003
Published:4 Dec 2025
Classifications:History of medicine, History of science
Weight:250g