A contemporary study of Western views on women scientists from 1700 to the present and how the extraordinary accomplishments of these women helped change those views.

Women and Science: Social Impact and Interaction looks at the complex relationship between science, women, and society as it has evolved from the late 1600s to the present. As the story unfolds, readers meet a number of extraordinary women who crashed the "men's club" of science, from Maria Merian, a 17th century pioneer in the study of metamorphosis to Barbara McClintock, 1984 Nobel prize winner for work that had been dismissed 30 years earlier.



More than a series of biographical sketches, this book is an insightful look at how some highly accomplished women overcame preconceived notions about their capabilities and their "proper place" and succeeded in contributing extensively to, and at times contesting, modern science.


* Brief biographies of some of the most accomplished women scientists in history, from Maria Merian and Margaret Cavendish to Ruth Hubbard

* Primary documents written by women scientists, including reflections of their work and personal lives and discussion of the challenges women scientists have faced