Title
Medicine and the Family: A Feminist Perspective
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Date
1995
Document Type
Book
Subjects
Feminism; Philosophy, Medical; Physician-Patient Relations; Family Practice; Women’s Health; Personal Narratives
Disciplines
Community Health | Other Medical Specialties | Preventative Medicine
Abstract
Publisher's description: For centuries, traditional medicine has been infused with a masculine bias, often to the disadvantage of both doctors and patients. This book challenges prevailing views and offers a family-oriented feminist approach to the practice of medicine. Drawing on her 20 years of experience as a family doctor, the author dissects the assumptions underlying current teachings about child and adult development, sexual abuse, the family life cycle, and family systems. She exposes the ways in which women are often ignored, subordinated, or blamed in the modern medical system. For example, she notes that women are often held solely responsible for all problems in their families, including child abuse and battering. Candib then re-examines the doctor-patient relationship from a feminist perspective, showing how doctors-in-relation allow caring to take centre stage in clinical work, in contrast to the traditional medical emphasis on rationality and objectivity. By putting caring at the forefront, both caregivers and patients can begin to think about power in a new way, and to see the clinical relationship as healing and empowering, rather than unequal and combative.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: Medicine and the Family: A Feminist Perspective, By Lucy M. Candib. Published by Basic Books, 1995. ISBN 0465008259, 9780465008254.
Related Resources
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