Book Review - Bold Women of Medicine: 21 Stories of Astounding Discoveries, Daring Surgeries, and Healing Breakthroughs

Book by Susan M. Latta
Review by Morgan Carter

For anyone considering a career in surgery, boldness often shows up in small, everyday moments: speaking up in the OR, trusting your hands, staying at the table when you’re exhausted, or imagining yourself as a future leader even when you don’t yet know where your journey will lead or you don’t see many who look like you. Bold Women of Medicine by Susan M. Latta is a reminder that these moments are part of a much longer story – one written by women who practiced medicine and surgery long before the path was visible or welcoming.

Bold Women of Medicine is organized as a collection of 21 short biographies, each highlighting a woman who helped shape the medical profession through skill, curiosity, and perseverance. Every chapter encompasses a bold woman’s story that feels more like a series of conversations across time. Latta introduces physicians who trained when women were rare in hospitals, when operating rooms were closed to them, and when leadership roles were almost unimaginable. Yet, each story shows how women found ways to practice, teach, operate, and lead – often quietly, often creatively, and always with purpose.

One early story that particularly resonates with me is that of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, American Civil War surgeon and only woman in history to have been awarded the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, whose experience underscores a theme that returns repeatedly throughout the book: a call to courageous grit and gutsy action.

Dr. Mary E. Walker’s story is a testament to grit forged in conviction. During the Civil War, she repeatedly stepped into roles she was told she could not occupy, offering medical care wherever it was needed. She treated wounded soldiers, cared for civilians, crossed enemy lines, and endured imprisonment. In the chaos of wartime, she moved toward suffering rather than away from it, offering her skills even when denied title, pay, or formal recognition. Her courage was practical, embodied in doing what had to be done when no one else would. When resources were scarce, she improvised without hesitation, including tearing up a long night dress she had with her into smaller pieces in order to make towels for feverish soldiers – a scandalous act for a woman in the nineteenth century. A quote from a newspaperman that was included within the book summarizes Dr. Walker’s efforts well:

“Her reputation is unsullied, and she carries herself amid the camp with a jaunty air of dignity well calculated to receive the sincere respect of the soldiers. She can amputate a limb with the skill of an old surgeon, and administer medicine equally as well.”

What’s most striking in this book isn’t just what these remarkable women achieved, but even more so how they moved through spaces that weren’t built with them in mind. Many of the women in this book became daring leaders in their chosen pursuits, despite the sizeable hurdles set in their paths.

The book comes full circle with the story of Dr. Kathy Magliato, who appears on the cover. Latta highlights the challenges that Dr. Magliato faced during medical school and surgical residency, including experiences that ultimately shaped her path as one of the few female cardiothoracic surgeons in the world. Her journey reflects a deeply persistent spirit, captured beautifully in advice she received from her mentor, Dr. Kaymen, during her general surgery training. I’d like to share that quote here:

"In order to be not just a good surgeon, but a great surgeon, you need the eye of an eagle, the heart of a lion, and the hand of a lady.”

Both Dr. Mary E. Walker’s and Dr. Kathy Magliato’s journeys reflect one of the book’s most comforting lessons: you do not have to see the entire path to take the next step. The operating rooms, leadership roles, and training spaces we move through today are broader because of the bold pioneers like them, and they continue to evolve with each new generation.

Morgan Carter

Morgan Carter is a third-year medical student at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She grew up in Strasburg, Virginia and attended the University of Virginia for her undergraduate degree in biochemistry with a minor in bioethics. After college, she conducted research for two years as a post-baccalaureate fellow in the Pediatric Oncology Branch at the National Cancer Institute and later earned a Master of Science in Physiology from Georgetown University. In medical school, she served as Co-President of the Association of Women Surgeons’ Cincinnati, Ohio Chapter and the Midwest Great Lakes Regional Representative for the National Medical Student Committee of the Association of Women Surgeons. She also serves as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps as a member of the Health Professions Scholarship Program. She is passionate about fostering meaningful relationships among women surgeons and fellow medical students interested in pursuing the field of surgery. Some of her favorite hobbies include hiking, camping, and exploring the great outdoors!