Conduct Unbecoming a Woman

Morantz-Sanchez provides a great look into the details and story-telling ability to provide a story that really gave the reader a complete look into the medecine of the turn of the century in the United States. One of my favorite parts of her story comes toward the end of the book when she discusses the "anxiety" over the meaning of femininity and masculinity. It was interesting to see the differences in the courtroom procedures and emotional environment between men and women. The discussion of the various crimes of passion that these women were accussed of shows how the world of medecine and society viewed women at this time. As I read through some of the discussion and details of Mary Dixon Jones, I was able to get a better feel and understanding of the differing gender issues and perspectives. It was very interesting to see how self-promotion was considered a very serious violation of accepted medical professionalism. It was the conflicting struggle for women to prove themselves in a field and time dominated by men. It was exciting and interesting to see how Morantz-Sanchez used her ability to write and stroy-tell to provide an experience beyond something I was ever aware of. The detail of the writing and the approach in which Morantz-Sanchez chose to write in was very important to her argument and description of medecine.