Elinor Cleghorn

India Rakusen journeys into the womb with Dr Dornu Lebari and Dr Jackie Maybin. We peel back the layers and meet the fallopian tubes, ovaries, cervix and the endometrium. India is also joined by Dr Elinor Cleghorn to discuss the ancient theories of wandering wombs, evil uteruses and the myths that surround the womb in history.Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Producer: Ellie Sans. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Olga Reed. Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists. A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Elinor Cleghorn, author of 'Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World', returns to discuss the evolution and societal implications of hysterectomies. She highlights the surgery's grim history, including a woman's brave self-hysterectomy and the troubling legacy of coercive practices. Elinor sheds light on the historical control of women's bodies through medical intervention and the importance of informed consent, emphasizing the need for autonomy in reproductive healthcare.

Elinor Cleghorn, feminist cultural historian and author of A Woman’s Work, explores the hidden histories of motherhood and women's health. She talks about tracing mothers' lives through court records and artifacts. She describes low-stakes crafts as coping, argues for the right not to mother, and imagines broader, supported forms of care and kinship.

Dr. Elinor Cleghorn unpacks the journey of women through medicine and myth in a man-made world. Topics include the historical mistreatment of women's bodies, the myth of the wandering womb, patriarchy's influence on women's health perception, challenging prejudices in medicine, debunking sexist assumptions, the role of pharmaceutical companies in perpetuating stereotypes, the feminist health movement in the 1970s, and the author's upcoming projects exploring the patriarchal institution of motherhood.

In this engaging discussion, Dr. Elinor Cleghorn, a historian and author of 'Unwell Women', dives deep into the troubling gender bias in the medical field. She reveals shocking historical practices, from leeching and mercury to barbaric surgeries without anesthesia. Dr. Cleghorn explores concepts like the 'wandering womb' and critiques the misogynistic roots of gynecology, including the controversial legacy of James Marion Sims. Her insights shine a light on the ongoing repercussions of these biases in modern medicine.