Exposed: The Hidden History of the Pelvic Exam

by Wendy Kline

Overview

The pelvic exam. If you’ve ever had one, you’re probably already wincing. It might be considered a routine medical procedure, but for most of us, it is anything from unpleasant to traumatic. 
 
In Exposed, noted historian Wendy Kline uncovers the procedure’s fascinating—and often disturbing—history. From gynecological research on enslaved women’s bodies to nonconsensual practice on anesthetized patients, the pelvic exam as we know it today carries the burden of its sordid past. Its story is one of pain and pleasure, life-saving discoveries and heartbreaking encounters, questionable procedures and triumphant breakthroughs.  Drawing on previously unpublished archival sources, along with interviews with patients, providers, and activists, Kline traces key moments and movements in gynecological history, from the surgeons of the nineteenth century to the OB/GYNs of today.   
 
This powerful book reminds us that the pelvic exam is has never been “just” a medical procedure, and that we can no longer afford to let the pelvic exam remain unexamined.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509552665
Publisher:	Polity Press
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Series:	History of Health and Illness
Pages:	286
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Wendy Kline is Dema G. Seelye Chair in the History of Medicine at Purdue University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Purpose of the Pelvic

1. Pelvic Violence: Nassar and the National Nightmare
2. Seeing is Believing: Enter the Speculum
3. Pelvic Pain: Gynecological Surgery in the Nineteenth Century
4. Pelvic Pleasure: The Emergence of Preventive Gynecology
5. “Save the Hooch”: Promoting the Pap Smear
6. Gynecology “Under Siege”: Pelvic Politics in the 1970s
7. “Physician Heel Thyself”: Pelvic Education

Afterword: Vulnerable Vaginas in the 21st Century

Editorial Reviews

"Placing her historian’s speculum straight into the soft tissue where sex and medicine meet, Wendy Kline diligently peeks inside, swabs for disease, and shines her light on the potential for abuse alongside the practice of lifesaving medicine. Meticulously researched and brilliantly written, Exposed: The Hidden History of the Pelvic Exam is that rare gem: an addictive page-turner about an intrusion every vagina-owner first learns to put up with, then takes as a given without ever questioning why."
Deborah Copaken, NYT-bestselling author of Ladyparts

"Essential and eye-opening. Wendy Kline takes her readers on a revelatory journey through the history of the pelvic exam, offering insights that alternate between shocking and empowering. Exposed is not just a history lesson: it’s a call to action, a demand for greater transparency and accountability, and a beacon of hope for more equitable healthcare. A compelling and indispensable read."
Rana Awdish, M.D., author of In Shock: How Nearly Dying Made Me a Better Intensive Care Doctor

"For anyone who has endured the shock of having a routine pelvic exam turn abusive, Wendy Kline provides disturbing evidence of how we got here. From J. Marion Sims to Lawrence G. Nassar, she details the history and horrors of gynecological care, while also highlighting some of the heroes who have tried to change a medical system that has brought harm to many women."
Emily Dwass, author of Diagnosis Female: How Medical Bias Endangers Women’s Health

"In seven illuminating chapters, Wendy Kline lifts up the hidden history of the pelvic exam — an act we all endure but rarely stop to question. Exposed shows how this medical ritual has evolved over time, from a tool wielded by elite male doctors to a way for second-wave feminists to reconnect with their bodies and own their sexual health. In doing so, she digs up chapters gynecology would rather forget: the era of genital phrenology, the ‘invention’ of the speculum at the expense of enslaved Black women, and, most recently, and most recently, the use and abuse of the pelvic exam by those claiming medical authority. Yet time and time again, she smartly centers the patients and activists who dared to take pelvic knowledge into their own hands."
Rachel E. Gross, author of Vagina Obscura

"Shockingly real, raw and urgently important. Wendy Kline beautifully merges the bloody, dark history with the fragile present of the most intimate, vulnerable and distinctive medical procedure through layers of social, economic, political and personal significance. For someone who works closely with women's sexual, reproductive and maternal healthcare, this book is a must-read."
Stiliyana Minkovska, architect, healthcare designer and founder of FemTech company Matrix Health & Care

“Kline brings every chapter into the present with the voices and actions of women who object because of painful incursions upon their bodies, denial of their humanity, and distortions of power.”
Medhum

From the Publisher