Instructor: Dagmara Chojecki (Scott Health Sciences Library). Description: The history of medicine is rife with misinformation when it comes to female anatomy and issues relating to women’s health. Historical medical texts focus on faithfully describing the male body and tend to largely ignore the female body. When mentioned at all, women are portrayed as inferior versions of men, defined primarily by their reproductive role, driven by irrational hysteria, prone to spreading disease, and dependent on men to control and guide them. This workshop will examine a variety of rare medical texts from the Dr Herbert E. Rawlinson Medical Collection (dated as early as the 15th century) including anatomical atlases, surgical manuals, midwifery and obstetrical works, home medical manuals, and early sexual education materials. We will consider the ways that these historical representations served to reinforce patriarchal norms and societal control of women’s bodies and will ponder the lasting legacy of these misogynistic ideologies within our modern-day medical systems. This online workshop is open only to the University of Alberta community and is capped at 50 participants.

The website for Bruce Peel Special Collections offers detailed information about this series of workshops as well as information about research and exhibitions.