A research guide in association with the Make Believe exhibition. This guide aims to keep you informed about misinformation, providing tips and tricks to help you with your own navigation on the high seas of information.
Our bodies, our selves, Boston Women's Health Course Collective. 1972: RAREP 613.0424 B6571
Anatomy is one of the oldest branches of medicine, yet it wasn’t until 1998 that the full anatomy of the clitoris was accurately mapped. This breakthrough, led by Professor Helen O’Connell AO, Australia’s first female urologist, corrected centuries of medical misinformation. While we tend to think of medical information as purely objective, this case study highlights how biases and social influences impact what we know and how we feel about our bodies, especially if we are women. Use the links below to find out more.
View our Collection discovery page to find a selection of digitised items from the exhibition.
De dissectione partium corporis humani libri tres, à Carolo Stephano, doctore medico, editi / vnà cum figuris & incisionum declarationibus, à Stephano Riuerio chirurgo cōpositis. Charles Estienne. 1545: RARESF 611.07 ES8
Visit the Library to access books from our collection. Articles and eBooks from subscription databases are available to anyone onsite or to Victorian residents from home with Library Membership. Resources available from external sources are noted, these don't require membership to view.
Some of these articles are available via external web sources.
Jackson, G. (November 2019). The female problem: how male bias in medical trials ruined women's health. The Guardian. (Available via the Guardian website)
Moore, R.M. (2018) Victorian Medicine Was Not Responsible for Repressing the Clitoris: Rethinking Homology in the Long History of Women’s Genital Anatomy Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 44(1), 53-81
Professor Helen O’Connell (top left), Dr Jennifer Hayes (top right), Anita Brown-Major (lower centre)
This case study showcases the research of Professor Helen O’Connell and other Melbourne-based members of the ‘International Cliteratti’: academic and anatomist Dr Jennifer Hayes and occupational therapist Anita Brown-Major. The Cliteratti is a network of scientists and healthcare professionals from around the world who are dedicated to advancing research and correcting misconceptions about the clitoris.
Learn more about the contributors on the Make Believe: Encounters with Misinformation webpage.
Image courtesy of Thrive Rehab
On display in case study 3 is an interactive model demonstrating vulva anatomy.
Developed over 5 years (released in 2023) by Thrive rehab with RMIT Industrial design program, the Cliterate anatomical model is designed to be an easy an accessible way to understand this part of the body.
Fruit of knowledge : the vulva vs. the patriarchy by 
Hysteria : a memoir of illness, strength and women's stories throughout history by 
Invisible women : data bias in a world designed for men by 
Pain and prejudice : a call to arms for women and their bodies by 
Unwell women : misdiagnosis and myth in a man-made world by Look at some of the most recent articles on the topic of misinformation, medicine and women in Australia. You can browse journal articles on this topic on our catalogue.
