"The Doctor Knows Best"

Part 1 in our woman studies books discusses the idea that western science has taken over the role of woman being the healers of the household. In today's culture western science is seen as the end all, be all. Science is believed to be fact and know one can question it's theories. The medicine woman used to  heal their patience was suddenly seen as to be irrational and untrue. In my opinion, intelligent woman that used their skills to heal could have been viewed as a huge threat to men. So western science was a way to devalue woman and their healing abilities. Woman to this day still don't have a real place in western science/medicine. While looking at articles online about woman's history I came across a somewhat recent article called A History of Women Healers by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English. In this article it states how the only real way woman can make a difference in medicine these days is if they become a nurse. It's very unlikely for woman to become doctors, hence why the majority of nurses are woman. Though I think this article is a little extreme I do agree with some of the points that are made just from personal experience. Every time I have ever gone to the doctor's office I have always had a woman as my nurses and a man as my doctor. I mean really how often are you going to go to a doctor's office and a man is going to be your nurse. The profession of a nurse is completely feminized. The idea that nurse's are not supposed to question the doctor is another pointed that is stated in the article. The doctor is the unchallenged science, whereas the nurse is the nurturing healer. In our society I don't think its impossible to become a woman doctor. I just think it's made harder for woman to become one. And going back to the idea that it is viewed as a huge threat to men. 

Gretchen