Originally, the argument against women in medicine was based on our menstrual cycles. It was first argued that we would be unable to function during the menstrual flow or that the hormonal fluctuations would damage the quality of our work. Later a man named Clark would argue in 1873 that, “The most dangerous threat… stemmed from the mistake of educating females as if they were males. Since the uterus was connected to the central nervous system, energy expended in one area was necessarily removed from another.”

Despite this bias, women continued to train as physicians.

In 1870, there were 544 female physicians.

1880: 2,432

1890: 4,557

1900: 7,387

1910: 9,015 (6% of all physicians)

As it turns out, the number of female physicians peaked in 1910 only to drop precipitously shortly thereafter. Why? In 1893, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine admitted the first ever co-educational class of medical students. Women declared the ‘battle’ for equal education won, and woman’s medical colleges began to close with the expectation that medical schools would be open on an equal basis to both sexes.  For a time, they were.

Then slowly, as women’s liberation movements focused on winning the vote, those numbers eroded. The men in control of the schools began to accept only a handful of women into their class, the bare number necessary to claim co-education. Then, women were denied access to nearly all internships and residencies after graduation, particularly the ones at prestigious institutions. Those women who continued in the face of blatant discrimination earned far less than their male colleagues and were denied positions of influence and power within the medical community (based on their ‘lesser’ internship/residency).

And so the enrollment of women in medical schools dropped precipitously.

Although women continued to apply to medical school in the face of nearly certain rejection, the number of women physicians wouldn’t begin to recover until during the second world war when medical schools recruited women out of sheer necessity. Not until the 1970s would women finally begin to be admitted on equal footing with men on the basis of academic merit alone.

Today, most medical schools admit an equal number of women and men.

While I wasn’t a tomboy, I was certainly not into the whole girly thing that I see around me today.

What were you like?

The first electric washing machine was invented in 1906. It was a vast improvement over the below systems:

Although electric washing machines made the weekly laundry day considerably easier for the woman (less rubbing, pounding, lifting – not to mention less exposure to the caustic soap used then), there were still problems:

• She still had to heat all the water on the stove (it was so much work, that the whites were washed first, then the colored – all in the same water).
• Originally, the motor wasn’t protected from the water. Short circuits often occurred and/or the women received a nasty shock.
• The motor often worked too vigorously, shredding the clothes.
• There was no spin dry – you used a wringer, which often removed buttons, hair, and sometimes damaged fingers.
  

  

• The tumble dryer arrived on the scene a bit later – circa 1930. Even then, most women hauled the laundry to the clothesline or spread it out over bushes to dry. Then, they faced the hot task of ironing.

SO, three cheers for my washing machine, the dryer, and my electric iron (for the rare occasions upon which I require it). AND, oh yes, three cheers for my husband who doesn’t expect that I will be the only one to run the washer and dryer and, most importantly, neither expects nor wants anything ironed.

What is this a picture of?

They built an ell. It means exactly what it sounds like – the addition was built at a right angle to the original house forming an ‘L’. They didn’t always stop with just one addition – if the family grew, then so did the house.

During my trip to Historic Deerfield, MA earlier this spring, I took these photos of two houses with ells. I think it gives a rather rambling look to the house and makes me wonder why each addition always seems smaller….

As a writer, I like to think about the history behind why the additions were built and the conflicts it might have caused. Were the children separated from visiting adults? Were people sneaking around in secret passageways placed between the two structures? Did a new bride find herself under the thumb of her mother-in-law? Was a crazy old relative housed in the new attic?

What does the building of an ell make you think of?

In the photos below (taken at Old Sturbridge Village, MA), you can see a potter with wet hands turning what appears to be the beginning of a mug. The next step is to let the clay dry for several days before dipping it in a reddish brown glaze. When enough pottery is accumulated, it will be stacked inside the large kiln. The opening is bricked up and the pottery is fired by building a fire at the base of the kiln until a temperature of 1850 degrees F is reached. In the last photos, you see some of the finished products.

For more information about redware visit Old Sturbridge Village.

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Pam of the new Pam Writes Romance blog has taken a few moments to answer my ten questions. Before we got down to the questions about writing, I had to start by clarifying a few quirky tidbits she’s let drop. See her bio for more.

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1) Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Where do you currently live?
I was born in the middle of a 3-day blizzard. Some might say this was a portent of things to come. They might be right… I grew up in lovely small towns that really were ideal. I have fond memories of my childhood because of those towns, but sadly, they’ve grown to a point they’re no longer what they were. Currently I live in Arizona–it just shows what happens when you say never. (The gods laugh.)
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2) What made you decide to ‘decorate’ your mixer?
I hate to say this, but that’s actually not my mixer. The gentleman who pimps mixers lives in Arizona and I’m waiting for a road trip to visit him and see if I can get something custom. I do have a white KitchenAid and I would like the blue flames, so I guess it’s a picture representing my mixer in my mind.
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3) How exactly did a motor manage to fall on the back of your head?
Dad was cleaning out the rafters in the garage and I was standing at the base of the ladder. (I was 8 and we were going to be moving soon.) I don’t remember it happening, it didn’t hurt–all of a sudden Dad was rushing down the ladder saying he was sorry and asking if I was okay. I’ve got a scar on the back of my head that looks like an itty-bitty bald spot.
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4) Do you remember the moment when you decided to write novels?
Yup–I tried to write poetry (it really, really, really sucked, and my husband, an English major and poet himself, gently suggested I start by writing something I know. (I did not know poetry!) I knew romance. Started in August 1996 and never looked back.

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5) What kind of paranormal do you like to write about?
Light and funny. Different.
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6) What time period(s) have you set your historical novels in?
Book #1 is 1883, Book #2 is 1217, Book #3 is 1780, and Book #5 is 1883. I don’t know why I’m gravitating towards Victorian. I love the other periods just as much.
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7) If you couldn’t write romance, would you pick another genre? Which? Why?
Yes, though I’d still write romance. (I don’t think anybody could tell me I couldn’t in a way that I’d believe them.) Plus, the genres now are mixing so much where does one start and another begin? I wouldn’t/couldn’t write mysteries–too much to plan out and have it be believable. SF/Fantasy maybe, same with Westerns. I could do women’s fiction and a kids book. Are all authors this ambitious?
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8. Pantser or plotter? And have you tried it the other way? How did it work?
65% panster, 35% plotter. I tried plotting and the book had other ideas–it ignored my plans and created new characters. Now, I have ideas and turning points and make the in-between parts up as I go.
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9) Given unlimited funds and two weeks, where would you go on vacation?
British Isles. Amen, end of sentence, no question about it.
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10) How did you find ‘Will Write for Wine’?
I’m a cherry and Lani advertised it on the Cherry loops. If you go back and look at one of the very first posts, I suggested a tagline of “Like your writing and your wine–bottoms up!” They went with “If you can’t write for money, write for wine.” Don’t know who came out ahead on that one.
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Below is a montage of the doors I passed on my visit to Historic Deerfield last weekend. I’d love to show you the amazing interiors, but photographs are not allowed.

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