Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery

9 reviews

_pauline's review against another edition

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informative

5.0

according to my kindle i’ve highlighted 133 sections in this book & I think that speaks for itself but here are some additional thoughts in no particular order:
  • I don’t think i’ve ever been this angry in my entire life
  • honestly I thought I already was somewhat knowledgeable on this topic but if you, too, think you know how bad it is - it’s that, times ten
  • this should be essential reading for every medical student
  • so so many of the anecdotes line up with my own experience (like having a literal ‘fibromyalgia specialist‘ tell me the condition doesn’t exist & then proceed to prescribe antidepressants) - ofc I knew most women with poorly understood illnesses have had bad encounters with doctors but I thought certain things were more of an exception than they actually are (which makes me feel both sad/angry & understood)
  • every time I‘m reminded how little time certain topics - e.g. nutrition, pain (wtf) or certain diseases - take up in med school, I wonder where doctors get their confidence when dismissing patients bc what did you really learn about it in those 1-4 hours you spent studying it (if at all)?
  • it’s a little repetitive at times & not the easiest book to read but so worth it (try to read a physical copy, there’s an abbreviations page at the end)
  • relatable anecdotes backed up by lots of scientific research + history for context
  • loved the deep dive into certain chronic illnesses more prevalent in women & their history
  • focus is on sexism but there are also sections on racism & other forms of discrimination 
  • some cited studies were conducted in several countries but for the most part it’s a book about sexism & gender bias in the US healthcare system (which makes sense given how long & dense it already is - just important to note in case you’re expecting a more international view (though a lot of US based research impacted medicine around the world ofc so it’s still 100% worth reading))
  • an updated version of this would be great, not sure if there is one
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herbodyslikeamodernart's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

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beetree's review against another edition

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challenging informative sad slow-paced

3.5

This is a really important book but I found it dry and repetitive, despite being passionate about this topic. It’s structure and formatting (very long chapters sometimes) didn’t work for me and because of the repetition, I sometimes lost the point of the chapters.
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alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

this is definitely a hard book, especially for someone like me who has autoimmune conditions. but in that way, it was informative and validating. i would definitely recommend this but it’s good to take into account that this is a depressing read.
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kellylynnthomas's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

This is an excellent and deeply reported examination of how sexism, racism, and the intersection of the two in the medical field leave women sick and in extreme cases, dead. The writing is engaging and interesting, never dry or dull. The author doesn't delve too deeply into trans issues, but explains early on that it's hard to do because of the lack of available studies and information. So, she does focus mainly on cis women, but I think all AFAB folks will find validation and the knowledge to better advocate for themselves.
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arayo's review against another edition

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informative sad

3.5

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sbryn's review against another edition

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challenging informative

5.0

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vaniavela's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Women suffer because of the biases of professionals in the medical field. 

Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick, is an excellent and eye-opening book that gives us insight into women's health throughout history and the struggles we have gone through to be taken seriously.

This book shows us how men are the standard, excluding women because of their wombs and reproductive potential; being considered unreliable informants of their own health and bodies.

It tends to be a bit repetitive, but I find it fascinating how we continue to fight against this situation.  Women have been the subject of mistrust, and medical mistreatment throughout history. It is time to change this. 

This is a must read book.

Tw: health issues, medical gaslighting, and mistreatment by doctors and the healthcare system.
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rayne_1906's review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced

2.25

4 hours 12 minutes - This book focuses on a very relevant and important issue, but unfortunately is very boring to read. The author has certainly done her research on the topic, but it is presented in a way which is repetitive and dull most of the time. Dusenbery does cover a lot of ground on sexism in medicine, and how this might intersect with other things such as race, class, transphobia, etc., but many parts of this book could have been cut without any impact on the message the book is trying to convey. Definitely makes me want to read more into the subject though.
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