From "Bodies" to "Persons": Female Patient Agency as Revealed in the 1892 Trial of Dr. Mary Dixon Jones

This article examines a sensational public libel trial that took place in 1892 between the Brooklyn, New York, Eagle newspaper & a well-known female gynecological surgeon, Dr. Mary Amanda Dixon Jones. I suggest that the event both affirmed & helped authorize changing understandings of women&...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCadernos PAGU no. 24; pp. 15 - 40
Main Author Morantz-Sanchez, Regina
Format Journal Article
LanguagePortuguese
Published 01.01.2005
Subjects
Females
Gynecology
Legal Cases
New York City, New York
Nineteenth Century
Physicians
Surgery
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Summary:This article examines a sensational public libel trial that took place in 1892 between the Brooklyn, New York, Eagle newspaper & a well-known female gynecological surgeon, Dr. Mary Amanda Dixon Jones. I suggest that the event both affirmed & helped authorize changing understandings of women's bodies & gynecological disease for female patients, trial spectators, & the larger public. It suggests that the development of gynecological surgery altered doctor-patient relationships which enabled middle class & even some poor women to speak in the courtroom about the burdensome experience of illness. The trial provided an unusual public venue for airing disappointments & complaints about the female condition, as well as the discussion about medical practices. Adapted from the source document.
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ISSN:0104-8333