Plague Nurses and Lady Doctors

From the archive: Angela Saini, Dr Lara Thorpe and Kavitha Rao explore the history of women and medicine

‘Tis the season for colds and flu, so what better time to share a medical history event from HistFest 2024’s archive.

Plague Nurses and Lady Doctors

In this special event, award-winning journalist and author Angela Saini (The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule) is joined by Dr Lara Thorpe (Plague Nurses, Marginality, and Fear during the Great Plague of 1665) and Kavitha Rao (Lady Doctors: The Untold Stories of India’s First Women Doctors) to explore the fascinating history of women and medicine. From early modern plague nurses battling an uncurable disease against a backdrop of stigma and fear, to the extraordinary 19^th century Indian women who defied the odds to become professional doctors. This captivating event draws out themes across the centuries to investigate the exceptional and the everyday and open a unique window into the history of women.