Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York's Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist

Jennifer Wright reconstructs the life of Ann Trow Lohman, a nineteenth-century immigrant who became the most prominent provider of reproductive healthcare in New York City under the name Madame Restell. Operating from a Fifth Avenue mansion, Restell built a massive commercial empire by selling abortifacient pills and performing surgical procedures during an era when medical regulation was nascent. The narrative tracks her rise against the backdrop of the Comstock Laws and her decades-long battle with morals crusader Anthony Comstock, illustrating how she navigated a legal landscape that increasingly criminalized female autonomy.

Readers interested in the history of medicine and nineteenth-century urban life will find a detailed account of early gynecological practices and the social stratification of Victorian healthcare. This biography appeals to those studying the intersection of law and public health, offering a factual record of how political shifts shaped medical access. The reader gains a specific understanding of the origins of reproductive legislation in the United States and the economic influence one woman wielded in a male-dominated medical field.