This ground-breaking work examines the role of woman as healer from prehistoric times to the present day. Award-winning scientist Jeanne Achterberg considers ancient cultures in which the chief diety was feminine and women worked as honoured healers; the role of women healers in the classical world; the birth of science; and the events that led to the persecution of women for witchcraft. She examines the development of professions such as midwifery and nursing, before finally discussing the role of women and the state of the healing arts today.

Throughout, Dr Achterberg explains the connection between the status of women healers and the culture in which they live. She explores how societies express what she calls 'the feminine myth' - the group of qualities, behaviours and belief systems traditionally associated with women - and the implications that this myth holds for us today.