Until the mid-17th century, for the vast majority of Europeans, medical care was administered by women in the household and neighborhood for free, using herbs and other formulas passed down between and among generations. In her book The Apothecary’s Wife: The Hidden History of Medicine and How It Became a Commodity, Karen Bloom Gevirtz illustrates how and why — only a century later — they were supplanted by men who established the basis of our for-profit medical system.

To support our mission and receive the book The Apothecary’s Wife as a thank-you gift, please donate here or call (800) 439-5732 (800-HEY-KPFA).

The post Special Spring Fund Drive Programming: Making Medicine a Commodity appeared first on KPFA.