Your Doctor Hates This One Weird Trick: A Feminist History of Homeopathy
These days, homeopathy and some forms of alternative medicine fall soundly in the realm of pseudoscience. Not only that, but the wellness industry has capitalized on the popularity of these practices in predatory ways, selling promises of improved health with no evidence to back them up. In the United States, the marketing of these alternative ‘wellness’ products primarily targets women – evidenced by yoni eggs, vaginal steamers, and more. If we turn back the clock about 150 years, however, homeopathic medicine didn’t look so different from the techniques being practiced in the medical mainstream. There was one important distinction, though – homeopathic medical colleges were more welcoming to women. Join us as we trace the complicated relationship between feminism, healing, and alternative medicine from its origins to the present day.
This episode was written and produced by Deanna Necula and Ben Mansky. The poem was read by Stella Belonwu. Music and sound effects used in this episode include Old Ralley by Lobo Loco, I Feel Sad by Scanglobe, and Discovery Harbor by Blue Dot Sessions on Free Music Archive and Chopping Vegetables from ancorapazzo on Freesound. Sources referenced in this episode include original documents and newspaper clippings from the UCSF Library Archive’s Florence Nightingale Ward collection, A Century of Homeopaths: Their Influence on Medicine and Health, “A Condensed History of Homeopathy,” audio from the goop lab Trailer (from Netflix), “Florence Nightingale Ward: Medical Sectarian or Medical Scientist?”, and the 1881 edition of the Chemist & Druggist’s Yearbook.
A 19th century advertisement for a conventional pharmacy.
A 19th century advertisement for a homeopathic pharmacy.