Medicine Woman

Mississippi, and most of her stories are set down south. “A Worn Path” is a short novel set in the south and introduces the journey of a young African American woman named Phoenix Jackson. She is heading into town to get medicine for her grandson that is never mentioned, but inferred that he is dead. Throughout her journey the old woman struggles with racism and suffers being called names such…

views of anorexia nervosa, what truly stood out to me the most was, by far, the highly overall gendered views that the late 19th century had on not only anorexia nervosa, but also on women’s health as a whole. For me, when I think of an unhealthy woman, I don’t normally…

are just that-words. However, they take on a more powerful and damaging meaning when a woman applies these words to describe her body. For centuries women have been judged on their appearance. From the Victorian Era to women of today, society has always decided what real beauty is. Today, the media’s portrayal of what the “ideal woman” should be is constantly changing. More often than not, this “ideal woman” is impossible to achieve. This can leave women to spiral down a dangerous path of…

Cruea once stated “’Feminism,’ as we know the term today, was nonexistent in nineteenth-century America” ("Changing Ideals of Womanhood during the Nineteenth-Century Woman Movement", 187). In today’s society, the word feminism gets thrown around every which way. It has become a very populace word. Women in early centuries did not have many rights; however, today’s women have many rights. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” it…

To say these different stages are complex would be a vast understatement. You have how it happens, what happens during, everything that could go wrong, what happens after, and the intricacy of each stage. As a woman myself I probably should of known more about these topics and how they affect one’s body, especially since it will all happen in my body one day, but I only knew the very basic facts from an anatomy class I took years ago. Now I feel like I have a…

fictional short story written by Eudora Welty during the early twentieth century and it likely occurs during this time period. This story takes place geographically in the South. “A Worn Path” is not simply a story about an old woman making a difficult journey for medicine to help her grandson, it’s about taking pride in yourself and having purpose in your life. This story shows that with pride and purpose many seemingly difficult obstacles can be overcome. It’s through this journey and…

The Ndembu Isoma ritual is used to cure a woman of infertility in their society. Initially hearing of the Isoma ritual one would not think that this a straightforward ritual, however, as Turner describes the process it is clear the ritual is more complicated and rich in symbolism than one would think. The symbolism quickly becomes complicated with most being polysemic and oppositions. To begin it is best to have an overview of how the Ndembu believe the women have become infertile. It is…

Changing the Face of Medicine Throughout history African American women have contributed greatly to society. One of the most notable African American woman is Rebecca Lee Crumpler. Ms. Crumpler was the first African American to earn M.D. Ms. Crumpler’s life, contributions, and impact have been significant to African American woman and society. Rebecca Crumpler’s life experiences led her to become an important part of African American history. Ms. Crumpler was born in Delaware, to Absolum Davis…

who plays a very vital role during the Crimean War.” Her mother taught her how to use herbal and folk medicine to care for others who needed her help, as her mother kept a boarding house for injured…

Most of the health-related wise women practiced alternative medicine to help people, especially young women to conceive and give birth, hence, they had a great deal of responsibility for the survival of the community. Because this was a very delicate job during the seventeenth-century, there was a risk of thing going wrong, and women were often blamed for someone’s sickness, incident, or death. According to John Winthrop, Massachusetts’s governor, “Jane Hawkins was used to give young women oil…