An industrious immigrant, Madame Restell was a self-taught surgeon on the cutting edge of healthcare in pre-Gilded Age New York, and her bustling "boarding house" provided abortions and medical assistance to thousands of women—rich and poor alike. As her practice expanded, Restell flaunted her wealth, drawing further ire from politicians, religious figures, and fellow physicians. In this biography, Jennifer Wright reveals that Restell's downfall in a misogynistic medical community had lasting consequences in the battle over access to abortion.