Since she had no brothers, it made sense
that she would have shown interest in her father’s work and that he might have
trained her to assist him. Thus she would become a skilled doctor herself. Not
only was it common in the colonies at that time for young men to receive their
medical training as a doctor’s apprentice, but that would also open up even
more possibilities for her to gather intelligence during the time when the
American revolt against Britain was turning into a shooting war. But I needed
to know whether this scenario would be plausible in the 18th
century.
In writing historical fiction, authors need
to be careful not to portray their female characters as “liberated”: holding
opinions and acting in ways that weren’t acceptable for women of that
particular period. It’s equally true, however, that we tend to assume that
women’s roles were more restricted than they really were. There are many
examples throughout history of women who stepped outside of what was considered
proper behavior for the female sex and carved out a niche for themselves within
their society. So the first thing I needed to do was to find out what medical
care really looked like back then, especially in a military setting. How were
sick and injured people treated, and just as important, who did the treating?
What I discovered is that in the American
colonies, and later in the incipient United States, medical care most often happened
within the home, with women as the primary healthcare providers, at least until
the situation became dire enough for a formally trained doctor to be summoned
if one was even available. Housewives were expected to serve as doctor, nurse,
and druggist for their families in addition to their other domestic
responsibilities. From their mothers, other women, and even from the Indians,
they learned traditional nursing methods, the uses of various medicinal herbs,
and how to concoct remedies using spirits. And since they bore the children,
they also assisted female family members, friends, and neighbors during
childbirth.
Throughout history women skilled in the
medical arts have also served the needs of their communities as well. Many
housewives kept journals where they recorded recipes for medicines that they
found in newspapers, almanacs, and popular medical handbooks. In the 18th
century some not only prescribed and prepared, but also advertised their own
cures for sale. Wartime especially offered opportunities for service to women
who had medical skills. They worked as nurses for pay, assisting camp surgeons who
might be responsible for as many as 600 men. Overseen by a matron, they prepared
and administered medicines, dressed wounds, cleaned beds, and cooked meals for
wounded and sick soldiers.
So it turns out that it’s not at all implausible
that a doctor in the 1700s might give his daughter practical medical training,
with an eye to her future responsibilities in her own home, if nothing else.
And clearly such a woman would likely be welcomed by an army in the aftermath
of bloody battles, when her abilities were desperately needed. Endowing Elizabeth
with skill as a doctor and surgeon has opened many opportunities throughout
this series for me to place her amid the crucial historical events of the
American Revolution that a woman would not otherwise have had. And that allows
her to be an especially effective spy, courier, and smuggler for the Sons of
Liberty.
~~~
J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a
lifelong student of history. She is a professional editor, a publisher, and the
author of award-winning historical fiction whose books have been endorsed by
bestselling authors such as Lori Benton, Laura Frantz, Jocelyn Green, and Michelle
Moran. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction
series on the American Revolution. She is also the author of One Holy Night,
which won the Christian
Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year and co-authored the award-winning Northkill
Amish Series with Bob Hostetler. Refiner’s
Fire, Book 6 of the American Patriot Series, released June 1.
Links
Personal website: http://www.jmhochstetler.com/
American Patriot Series website: http://www.theamericanpatriotseries.com/
Northkill Amish Series website: https://www.northkill.com/
