Medical Authority and Englishwomen's Herbal Texts, 1550–1650

The first study to analyze print vernacular herbals from the standpoint of gender, this book also recognizes the rhetorical agenda of female writers who claim herbal practice. As she examines women's herbal language across various genres and in both manuscript and print, Laroche also incorporates meticulous archival research which ultimately generates original findings to do with women's ownership of medical texts.