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James S. Olson
320 pp 2002,
The John Hopkins University Press

By Elaine Clarke and Ali Bodie
Contact the author via Chris Johnstone by e-mail at christopher.johnstone@ntlworld.com

I found this book fascinating, especially remembering my nursing days as Sister in female surgical 1980-87. How that time is relegated to history thank goodness! It was routine for patients to wake up and ask did they still have their breast. I did not realise what a fight some women had to have their surgery done in two stages and for having less radical surgery.The number of women affected unnecessarily with lymphodoema of there arm through radical surgery makes you weep. The book makes you realise how male dominated the experts were and how this affected new developments detrimentally. The stories and anecdotes are absorbing, including Anne of Austria's friendship with the Nuns and how breast cancer became known as the Nun's disease: how Hitler's mother was treated by an Austrian Jew: how Hitler pleaded for any cure and one of the first types of chemotherapy was tried. The result was she died in agony - fascinating. Was it this that caused Hitler to hate the Jews so much? Although the doctor was the only Jew he helped escape. The book also shows how high profile, often very motivated, women have demanded and led the way in treatment changes. From the one-stage radical mastectomy to more conservative surgery, giving at least as good results.

Bathsheba's Breast is written by Professor James S Olson, Chair of History Dept at Sam Houston State University, who lost his left hand and forearm to sarcoma whilst writing this book. It is an absorbing narrative, told through stories of women who have suffered from breast cancer.

In 1967 a surgeon stopped in front of Rembrants 'Bathsheba at her Bath' and spotted tell-tale signs of breast cancer. He started researching and he discovered that Rembrandt's model was his mistress Hendrickje Stoffels. She later died after a long illness and he wrote an article for an Italian medical journal suggesting the cause of her death was almost certainly breast cancer. He then went on to research breast cancer through the ages and this is the result.

It is a compelling book, telling an astonishing story with many awful facts and stories. In the 17th century, breast cancer was known as Nun's disease. Mastectomies with node clearance without anaethestic were common as late as 1900. Women often could not face this terrible operation, preferring to die instead. Famous examples of sufferers include Queen Atossa of Babylon in 490 BC to Dr Gerry Neilsen in 1999. Latest news, quack cures are proven not to work. This book is highly recommended but it is not for the squeamish nor for newly diagnosed.

Other hoolet online articles by Elaine Clarke can be found at:
hoolet edition 47 - Review: Bathsheba's Breast

hoolet is the magazine of RCGP Scotland. It is supported intellectually, financially and emotionally by RCGP Scotland.

This issue maintained by Robert Hallam.