Things to consider…

Ancient Times | Medieval to Seventeenth Century | Eighteenth Century |
Late Georgian to Regency | The Victorian Era | Miscellaneous Topics

Attitudes and Developments

Practices

Sources

Banks, Amanda Carson, Birth Chairs, Midwives and Medicine, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, 1999, ISBN: 1578061717, 1578061725. (A study of the evolution of birth chairs and birth positions, the role of midwives and the “medicalization” of childbirth. Scholarly feminist. Great pictures although as a Regency author I would prefer them to be more closely dated than, for example, “nineteenth century”.)

Demand, Nancy, Birth, Death, and Motherhood in Classical Greece, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 1994, ISBN: 0-8018-4762-1. (Some details on childbirth and pregnancy, focus on society and gender roles.)

Engelmann, George J., Labor Among Primitive Peoples, J. H. Chambers & Co., St. Louis, 1882. (Comments: Early study of upright postures used during labor and other pregnancy and childbirth practices among the “uncivilized”. The author hoped this would encourage society and the obstetric community to consider adopting some of these more natural practices, but the general response was that civilized women, especially those of the upper classes, were too delicate due to overindulgence, inactivity and corseting) to be able to give birth as “savages” did, and therefore in especial need of the services of modern obstetrics: to be delivered lying down, anesthetized and with the aid of instruments.)

Flemming, Rebecca, Medicine and the Making of Roman Women: Gender, Nature, and Authority from Celsus to Galen, Oxford University Press, New York, 2000, ISBN: 0199240027. (Scholarly study of Roman women’s roles both as patients and as medical practitioners; includes information on sexuality, pregnancy, childbirth, midwives.)

Gelis, Jacques, History of Childbirth: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth in Early Modern Europe, Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1991, ISBN: 1555531024, 1555531059. (Detailed and respectful study of the “unwritten” history of childbirth: folklore, traditional practices, “old wives’ tales”. Author unflinchingly explores ancient beliefs and inner fears and concerns about childbirth and how these evolved into the early modern period. Much of it is universal, but please note it is a translation from the French and draws largely on examples within France.

Ghalioungui, Paul, The Physicians of Pharaonic Egypt, Cairo, A.R.E. : Al-Ahram Center for Scientific Translations ; Springfield, Va. : Available from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, 1983, ISBN: 3805306008. (A study of physicians listed in extant sources. Most notable for its lack of information on childbirth attendants. Although midwives are depicted in other sources, no midwives are listed by name. One female doctor was listed, but there is no evidence that female doctors specialized in women’s health.)

Ghalioungui, Paul, Magic and Medical Science in Ancient Egypt, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1963. (The chapter on specialists includes about 9 pages of useful information on pregnancy and childbirth.)

Soranus of Ephesus, Gynecology, Translated with an introd. by Owsei Temkin, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Press, 1956. (Treatise by 1st-2nd century Greek physician that was influential until the 16th century (arguably beyond). An interesting and sometimes frightening primary source.)

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Attitudes and Developments

Practices

Sources

Banks, Amanda Carson, Birth Chairs, Midwives and Medicine, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, 1999, ISBN: 1578061717, 1578061725. (A study of the evolution of birth chairs and birth positions, the role of midwives and the medicalization of childbirth. Scholarly feminist. Great pictures although as a Regency author I would prefer them to be more closely dated than, for example, “nineteenth century”.)

Cutter, Irving S., and Viets, Henry R., A Short History of Midwifery, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia and London, 1964. (Not, as it might appear, a history of female midwives. This is really a history of obstetrics, with excerpts from period writings on the subject dating from 1560 onward. It’s heavy reading, and the author seems to accept writings of male physicians ridiculing midwives without considering the writers’ motives. But also has a lot of obscure medical history--some many of us would rather not know, perhaps.)

Dewhurst, Jack, Royal Confinements, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980, ISBN: 0297778471. (Describes confinements of British royalty from the Stewarts to Victoria and Albert. Includes interesting details on both social and medical aspects, including diet, medicines and practices used. Good insights into what was “best practice” for the relevant time periods.)

Eccles, Audrey, Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Tudor and Stuart England, Croom Helm, London, 1982. (Not a long book, but a good basic reference on the beliefs and practices of the periods covered with some interesting observations.)

Gelis, Jacques, History of Childbirth: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth in Early Modern Europe, Northeastern University Press, Boston, ISBN: 1555531024, 1555531059. (Detailed and respectful study of the “unwritten” history of childbirth: folklore, traditional practices, “old wives’ tales”. Author unflinchingly explores ancient beliefs and inner fears and concerns about childbirth and how these evolved into the early modern period. Much of it is universal, but please note it is a translation from the French and draws largely on examples within France.)

Green, Monica H., The Trotula: A Medieval Compendium of Women’s Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 2001, ISBN: 0812235894. (A group of influential texts on women’s medicine which originated in 11th or 12th century Salerno, Italy, at times attributed to a medieval woman named Trotula or Trota. This translator believes there were three authors involved in three texts which were later combined. The introductory material is interesting, as are the three texts: On the Conditions of Women, On Treatments for Women, and On Women’s Cosmetics, covering topics including menstruation, fertility, pregnancy and childbirth among others. Fascinating. There are even recipes for feigning virginity.

Musacchio, Jacqueline Marie, The Art and Ritual of Childbirth in Renaissance Italy, Yale University Press, 1999, ISBN: 0300076290. (Beautifully illustrated book on the objects associated with the celebration of childbirth, including painted trays, ceramic objects, etc..., from an artistic but also social/historical viewpoint. Includes a glossary of Italian Renaissance terms associated with childbirth and useful information on the practices and customs. A must for anyone writing in this unusual setting.)

Sharp, Jane, Midwives Book: Or the Whole Art of Midwifery Discovered, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999, ISBN: 019508652X (alk. paper) 0195086538 (pbk. : alk. paper). (A treatise written by a woman, published in 1671, reissued in 1724 and 1725. Consists of 6 “books” covering anatomy, conception, barrenness, recognizing the signs of labor, management of labor, postpartum care of mother and baby. The author drew on earlier male sources, including Culpeper’s Directory for Midwives, but with changes that indicate a more matter-of-fact and sympathetic attitude toward women’s sexuality. A fascinating primary source.)

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Attitudes and Developments

Practices

Sources

Banks, Amanda Carson, Birth Chairs, Midwives and Medicine, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, 1999, ISBN: 1578061717, 1578061725 (pbk). (A study of the evolution of birth chairs and birth positions, the role of midwives and the “medicalization” of childbirth. Scholarly feminist. Great pictures although as a Regency author I would prefer them to be more closely dated than, for example, “nineteenth century”.)

Buchan, William, Domestic Medicine New York : Garland, 1985 (reprint, originally published: 2nd ed. London : Printed for W. Strahan, 1772), ISBN: 082405931X (alk. paper). Online text at www.harvestfields.netfirms.com/HerbBooks/01/bkh05/000.htm. (Book on general medicine, intended to educate lay persons as well as medical practitioners. Has a section "On the Diseases of Women" which deals with menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and barrenness. A mix of common sense (such as advising women to put their babies to breast early) and typical eighteenth century medical practices, such as bloodletting. The section on childbirth contains much advice on postpartum care but less about delivery itself.)

Cutter, Irving S., and Viets, Henry R., A Short History of Midwifery, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia and London, 1964. (Not, as it might appear, a history of female midwives. This is really a history of obstetrics, with excerpts from period writings on the subject dating from 1560 onward. It’s heavy reading, and the author seems to accept writings of male physicians ridiculing midwives without considering the writers’ motives. But also has a lot of obscure medical history-- some many of us would rather not know, perhaps.)

Dewhurst, Jack, Royal Confinements, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980, ISBN: 0297778471. (Describes confinements of British royalty from the Stewarts to Victoria and Albert. Includes interesting details on both social and medical aspects, including diet, medicines and practices used. Good insights into what was “best practice” for the relevant time periods.)

Gelis, Jacques, History of Childbirth: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth in Early Modern Europe, Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1991, ISBN: 1555531024, 1555531059 (pbk.). (Detailed and respectful study of the “unwritten” history of childbirth: folklore, traditional practices, “old wives’ tales”. Author unflinchingly explores ancient beliefs and inner fears and concerns about childbirth and how these evolved into the early modern period. Much of it is universal, but please note it is a translation from the French and draws largely on examples within France.)

Leavitt, Judith Walzer, Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America 1750-1950, Oxford University Press, New York, 1986, ISBN: 0195038436 (alk. paper). (Similar in coverage to the Wertz book, described below. A good general reference for the period covered.)

Lewis, Judith Schneid, In the Family Way: Childbearing in the British Aristocracy, 1760-1860, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1986, ISBN: 0-8135-1116-X. (A study of the reproductive experiences of fifty ladies, including information from their letters and journals. Good analysis of the trends of the time, along with great tidbits and stories of famous ladies including Lady Caroline Lamb, Lady Jersey, Princess Charlotte and Queen Victoria. Perfect for the Regency author.)

Sharp, Jane, Midwives Book: Or the Whole Art of Midwifery Discovered, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999, ISBN: 019508652X (alk. paper) 0195086538 (pbk. : alk. paper). (A treatise written by a woman, published in 1671, reissued in 1724 and 1725. Consists of 6 “books” covering anatomy, conception, barrenness, recognizing the signs of labor, management of labor, postpartum care of mother and baby. The author drew on earlier male sources, including Culpeper’s Directory for Midwives, but with changes that indicate a more matter-of-fact and sympathetic attitude toward women’s sexuality. A fascinating primary source.)

Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher, A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on her Diary, 1785-1812, Knopf, New York, 1990, ISBN: 0394568443. (Pulitzer Prize winning story of an everyday heroine in Maine. Martha Ballard delivered babies, grew and dispensed medicinal herbs, viewed autopsies and prepared bodies for burial, in addition to being a wife, mother and grandmother. During the time covered by her diary she assisted at 814 deliveries (of nearly 1000 during her lifetime), at times crossing frozen rivers or wading through hip-deep snowdrifts to get to her patients. She lost only 5 mothers, none during delivery. The souls of doctors who decried “dirty and ignorant midwives” should beg Martha’s forgiveness. Lots of insights into early American life and society, and the role of women healers. Most of the medical detail is in chapter 5 and 7, but if you have time this book is worth reading cover-to-cover.)

Wertz, Richard W. and Dorothy C., Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1989, ISBN: 0-300-04088-1 (cloth), 0-300-04087-3 (pbk). (Covers colonial times to the 1980’s. A detailed, useful reference.)

Williams, Guy, The Age of Agony, The Art of Healing, c 1700-1800, Academy Chicago Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, 1975, ISBN: 0-89733-202-4, 0-89733-203-2 (pbk.). (Chapter 3 is titled “The Perils of Pregnancy and Birth in the Eighteenth Century”. It has some interesting information, including an account of the Chamberlens and the popularization of the forceps and the hoax involving Mary Tofts, who claimed to give birth to rabbits. It also contains other useful information on the medical developments of the time, but in his zeal to expound on the theme of the horrors of 18th century medicine (and it truly was horrible) the author draws heavily on the writings of the newly rising man-midwives, who certainly had some agenda in discrediting the practice of female midwives and traditional rituals of childbirth.)

Wilson, Adrian, The Making of Man-Midwifery: Childbirth in England, 1660-1770, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1995, ISBN: 0-674-54323-8. (History of how medical men gradually took over from midwives and the ancient birth rituals gave way to modern practices. I found it scholarly but quite readable.)

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Attitudes and Developments

Practices

Sources

Banks, Amanda Carson, Birth Chairs, Midwives and Medicine, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, 1999, ISBN: 1578061717, 1578061725 (pbk). (A study of the evolution of birth chairs and birth positions, the role of midwives and the “medicalization” of childbirth. Scholarly feminist. Great pictures although as a Regency author I would prefer them to be more closely dated than, for example, “nineteenth century”.)

Buchan, William, Domestic Medicine New York : Garland, 1985 (reprint, originally published: 2nd ed. London : Printed for W. Strahan, 1772), ISBN: 082405931X (alk. paper). Online text at www.harvestfields.netfirms.com/HerbBooks/01/bkh05/000.htm. (Book on general medicine, intended to educate lay persons as well as medical practitioners. Has a section "On the Diseases of Women" which deals with menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and barrenness. A mix of common sense (such as advising women to put their babies to breast early) and typical eighteenth century medical practices, such as bloodletting. The section on childbirth contains much advice on postpartum care but less about delivery itself.)

Cutter, Irving S., and Viets, Henry R., A Short History of Midwifery, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia and London, 1964. (Not, as it might appear, a history of female midwives. This is really a history of obstetrics, with excerpts from period writings on the subject dating from 1560 onward. It’s heavy reading, and the author seems to accept writings of male physicians ridiculing midwives without considering the writers’ motives. But also has a lot of obscure medical history-- some many of us would rather not know, perhaps.)

Dewhurst, Jack, Royal Confinements, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980, ISBN: 0297778471. (Describes confinements of British royalty from the Stewarts to Victoria and Albert. Includes interesting details on both social and medical aspects, including diet, medicines and practices used. Good insights into what was “best practice” for the relevant time periods.)

Gelis, Jacques, History of Childbirth: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth in Early Modern Europe, Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1991, ISBN: 1555531024, 1555531059 (pbk.). (Detailed and respectful study of the “unwritten” history of childbirth: folklore, traditional practices, “old wives’ tales”. Author unflinchingly explores ancient beliefs and inner fears and concerns about childbirth and how these evolved into the early modern period. Much of it is universal, but please note it is a translation from the French and draws largely on examples within France.)

Leavitt, Judith Walzer, Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America 1750-1950, Oxford University Press, New York, 1986, ISBN: 0195038436 (alk. paper). (Similar in coverage to the Wertz book, described below. A good general reference for the period covered.)

Lewis, Judith Schneid, In the Family Way: Childbearing in the British Aristocracy, 1760-1860, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1986, ISBN: 0-8135-1116-X. (A study of the reproductive experiences of fifty ladies, including information from their letters and journals. Good analysis of the trends of the time, along with great tidbits and stories of famous ladies including Lady Caroline Lamb, Lady Jersey, Princess Charlotte and Queen Victoria. Perfect for the Regency author.)

Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher, A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on her Diary, 1785-1812, Knopf, New York, 1990, ISBN: 0394568443. (Pulitzer Prize winning story of an everyday heroine in Maine. Martha Ballard delivered babies, grew and dispensed medicinal herbs, viewed autopsies and prepared bodies for burial, in addition to being a wife, mother and grandmother. During the time covered by her diary she assisted at 814 deliveries (of nearly 1000 during her lifetime), at times crossing frozen rivers or wading through hip-deep snowdrifts to get to her patients. She lost only 5 mothers, none during delivery. The souls of doctors who decried “dirty and ignorant midwives” should beg Martha’s forgiveness. Lots of insights into early American life and society, and the role of women healers. Most of the medical detail is in chapter 5 and 7, but if you have time this book is worth reading cover-to-cover.)

Wertz, Richard W. and Dorothy C., Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1989, ISBN: 0-300-04088-1 (cloth), 0-300-04087-3 (pbk). (Covers colonial times to the 1980’s. A detailed, useful reference.)

Williams, Guy, The Age of Agony, The Art of Healing, c 1700-1800, Academy Chicago Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, 1975, ISBN: 0-89733-202-4, 0-89733-203-2 (pbk.). (Chapter 3 is titled “The Perils of Pregnancy and Birth in the Eighteenth Century”. It has some interesting information, including an account of the Chamberlens and the popularization of the forceps and the hoax involving Mary Tofts, who claimed to give birth to rabbits. It also contains other useful information on the medical developments of the time, but in his zeal to expound on the them of the horrors of 18th century medicine (and it truly was horrible) the author draws heavily on the writings of the newly rising man-midwives, who certainly had some agenda in discrediting the practice of female midwives and traditional rituals of childbirth.)

Wilson, Adrian, The Making of Man-Midwifery: Childbirth in England, 1660-1770, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1995, ISBN: 0-674-54323-8. (History of how medical men gradually took over from midwives and the ancient birth rituals gave way to modern practices. I found it scholarly but quite readable.)

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Attitudes and Developments

Practices

Sources

Banks, Amanda Carson, Birth Chairs, Midwives and Medicine, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, 1999, ISBN: 1578061717, 1578061725 (pbk). (A study of the evolution of birth chairs and birth positions, the role of midwives and the “medicalization” of childbirth. Scholarly feminist. Great pictures although as a Regency author I would prefer them to be more closely dated than, for example, “nineteenth century”.)

Bull, Thomas, Hints to Mothers, For the Management of Health During the Period of Pregnancy, and in the Lying-in Room: with an Exposure of Popular Errors in Connexion with those Subjects and Hints Upon Nursing, Wiley & Putnam, New York, 1877. Text online at http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=hearth;idno=4118549. (A Victorian “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”. Covers health during pregnancy, determining pregnancy, “diseases” of pregnancy, prevention of miscarriage, determining the due date, delivery, postpartum care of mother and child, and breastfeeding. Interesting. He cautions against self-administration of chloroform.)

Caton, Donald, What a Blessing She Had Chloroform: The Medical Response to the Pain of Childbirth from 1800 to the Present, Yale University Press, 1999, ISBN: 0300075979. (Written by an anesthesiologist. Though the subtitle indicates 1800 as the start of the period covered, the coverage really starts with 1847, when ether was first used for labor pain. Lots of good information on attitudes toward and treatment of labor pain from that point to the present. His insights are interesting. He seems to deny that doctors ever supported pain-relieving drugs for fame or monetary gain, which I have difficulty believing. However, I don't doubt that some of the pioneers in this field truly wanted to alleviate women’s suffering, or that women themselves provided a lot of the impetus for the movement.)

Cutter, Irving S., and Viets, Henry R., A Short History of Midwifery, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia and London, 1964. (Not, as it might appear, a history of female midwives. This is really a history of obstetrics, with excerpts from period writings on the subject dating from 1560 onward. It’s heavy reading, and the author seems to accept writings of male physicians ridiculing midwives without considering the writers’ motives. But also has a lot of obscure medical history-- some many of us would rather not know, perhaps.)

Dewhurst, Jack, Royal Confinements, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980, ISBN: 0297778471. (Describes confinements of British royalty from the Stewarts to Victoria and Albert. Includes interesting details on both social and medical aspects, including diet, medicines and practices used. Good insights into what was “best practice” for the relevant time periods.)

Engelmann, George J., Labor Among Primitive Peoples, J. H. Chambers & Co., St. Louis, 1882. (Comments: Early study of upright postures used during labor and other pregnancy and childbirth practices among the “uncivilized”. The author hoped this would encourage society and the obstetric community to consider adopting some of these more natural practices, but the general response was that civilized women, especially those of the upper classes, were too delicate due to overindulgence, inactivity and corseting, to be able to give birth as “savages” did, and therefore in especial need of the services of modern obstetrics: to be delivered lying down, anesthetized and with the aid of instruments.)

Gelis, Jacques, History of Childbirth: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth in Early Modern Europe , Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1991, ISBN: 1555531024, 1555531059 (pbk.). (Detailed and respectful study of the “unwritten” history of childbirth: folklore, traditional practices, “old wives’ tales”. Author unflinchingly explores ancient beliefs and inner fears and concerns about childbirth and how these evolved into the early modern period. Much of it is universal, but please note it is a translation from the French and draws largely on examples within France.)

Leavitt, Judith Walzer, Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America 1750-1950, Oxford University Press, New York, 1986, ISBN: 0195038436 (paper). (Similar in coverage to the Wertz book, described below. A good general reference for the period covered.)

Lewis, Judith Schneid, In the Family Way: Childbearing in the British Aristocracy, 1760-1860, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1986, ISBN: 0-8135-1116-X. (A study of the reproductive experiences of fifty ladies, including information from their letters and journals. Good analysis of the trends of the time, along with great tidbits and stories of famous ladies including Lady Caroline Lamb, Lady Jersey, Princess Charlotte and Queen Victoria. Perfect for the Regency author.)

McMillen, Sally Gregory, Motherhood in the Old South: Pregnancy, Childbirth and Infant Rearing, Louisiana State University Press, 1990, ISBN: 0807115177. (What with the emphasis on large families, the heat, the malaria, corsets, medical practices that heavily featured the use of mercury and opium, it seems like a miracle that any of these women and their babies survived. But depressing aspects aside, this is an excellent reference for writers using this setting, including many examples and quotes from period diaries and letters.)

Wertz, Richard W. and Dorothy C., Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1989, ISBN: 0-300-04088-1 (cloth), 0-300-04087-3 (pbk). (Covers colonial times to the 1980’s. A detailed, useful reference.)

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Miscellaneous

Activity and Dress During Pregnancy

Sex During Pregnancy?

Hospital Birth

Sources (on clothing, for other topics see sources listed above)

Baumgarten, Linda, What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in association with Yale University Press, Williamsburg, Va., 2002, ISBN: 0879352167 (hardcover : alk. paper) 0300095805 (hardcover : alk. paper). (Contains some useful information on clothing during pregnancy, labor and post-partum, and for infants. Although this is about America, some of the information is applicable to Europe as well.)

Cunnington, Phillis Emily, Costume for Births, Marriages and Deaths, Barnes & Noble, New York, 1972, ISBN: 0064913376. (Has three relevant chapters: 1. Births - mother and attendants, 2. The Baby, and 3. The Christening. Has some information on what was worn during pregnancy, ex., corseting, what was worn during labor by mother and birth attendants (early man-midwives donned nightgowns over their clothing to make their patients more comfortable!), clothing for breastfeeding, how babies were fitted out and the pomp associated with christenings of upper-class babies.)

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