ABSTRACT
As established in the Introduction and Chapter 1, the relationship between female patients and their male practitioners was a complex one which hinged upon a variety of factors, including sex, age, marital status, and socio-economic status. Given the centrality of female patients within early modern medicine, it is necessary to consider how women were diagnosed and treated by male practitioners for health issues specific to the female body. Rather than focusing on the question of medicalization, which proves to be highly problematic for an examination of the early modern period, this chapter will highlight the nature of the exchanges that transpired between male practitioners and their female clientele in regard to female-specific physiology, life cycle stages, and health issues.
