Early modern physicians and surgeons tried desperately to understand breast cancer, testing new medicines and radically improving operating techniques. In this study, the first of its kind, Kaartinen explores the emotional responses of patients and their families to the disease in the long eighteenth century.
'contains insightful details about those who had and treated breast cancer ... Historians of science, particularly of cancer, as well as scientists who study breast cancer, will find the product of Kaartinen's research an important book.' British Journal for the History of Science 'The joy of this book is the way it uses medical case notes and receipt books to give voice to cancer patients themselves ... a valuable addition to the field of medical history.' Social History of Medicine 'a compelling and compassionate investigation of both contemporary medical understandings of cancer and the lived experience of what is still a horrific disease.' Deviant Maternity 'makes a significant contribution to our understanding of breast cancer, patient-doctor relationships and the emotional dimension of disease in eighteenth-century Britain.' Women's History Magazine 'a valuable addition to the cultural history of medicine. Highly recommended.' CHOICE
Innehållsförteckning
Chapter 1 ‘One of the Most Grievous and Rebellious Diseases’: Defining, Diagnosing and the Causes of Cancer; Chapter 2 ‘But Sad Resources’: Treating Cancer in the Eighteenth Century; Chapter 3 Women’s Agency and Role in Choice of Treatment; Chapter 4 ‘So Frightful to the Very Imagination’: Pain, Emotions and Cancer in the Breast; epilogue Epilogue;