Wonders of Childbirth

Nyhet

Giving Life between the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

2 939 kr

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Childbirth has long been a subject that defies easy historical investigation—elusive, painful, enveloped in modesty and mystery, and resistant to disclosure. This book outlines how childbirth was described and represented in the West from the Middle Ages through the early modern period to the seventeenth century, before the medicalisation of obstetrical practice and the emergence of clinics.Drawing on a wide and varied body of sources—including medical, legal, religious, and literary texts—the author reconstructs the practices associated with women in labour. As the focal point of collective attention, the parturient was surrounded by other women—a midwife, relatives, and neighbours—reflecting the strong female solidarity fostered by childbirth, while also being attended by men such as her husband, a priest, and, in later periods, a surgeon. Adopting a broad diachronic perspective, the book highlights both elements of long-term continuity and the most significant changes in the early modern period. The book is intended for a wide readership, while also serving the interests of scholars and students. Beyond those concerned with the history of childbirth, midwifery, and women, it will be relevant to readers engaged in the history of medicine, cultural anthropology, and cultural history.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-08-05
Mått156 x 234 x undefined mm
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor220
FörlagTaylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN9781041052425

Tillhör följande kategorier

Medicinhistoria inom Medicin
Historia inom Historia och arkeologi
Socialhistoria och kulturhistoria inom Historia och arkeologi
Religion: allmänt inom Filosofi och religion

Alessandra Foscati is Professor of the History of Medicine at UniCamillus– International University of Health and Medical Sciences in Rome, Italy. She obtained her PhD in medieval history at the University of Bologna, Italy. Her research focuses mainly on two areas: the history of childbirth between the Middle Ages and the early modern period, with particular attention to caesarean section, and the study of the lexicon of disease and its semantic transformations, primarily in the Middle Ages. She has published books, essays and articles in Italian and other languages.

List of FiguresAcknowledgements Chapter One: The Birth Scene 1. A Story2. Constructing the History of Childbirth: Textual Sources Chapter Two: ‘She Must Be of Good and Honest Behaviour’: The Midwife 1. The Miraculously Healed by Christ in Swaddling Clothes2. The Profile of Midwives: A Brief Overview3. The Physical and Moral Qualities of Midwives. Were They Witches?4. Midwives and the Nobility Chapter Three: Giving Birth 1. Modesty and Shame2. The Birthing Chair and Other Delivery Positions3. Pain and ScreamingChapter Four: Speeding up Childbirth: Objects, Rituals, and Formulae 1. The Attractive Powers of Amulets2. Words to Be “Eaten” and “Drunk”3. The brieve4. The Flesh of a Wolf, the Skin of a Snake, the Nail of a Donkey5. Margaret and Other Saints6. The Agnus Dei7. ‘La vanité, l’illusion et la folie’: Carmina and Amulets in the Early Modern Period Chapter Five: Difficult Births and Dramatic Episodes 1. Saturn in Opposition: The time of Childbirth2. Wine, Garlic, Onion, and Salt: How to Resuscitate the Newborn Baby3. Unnatural Births4. Brutal Procedures: Embryulcia and Embryotomy Chapter Six: The Long History of the Caesarean Section 1. The ingenitus: Medieval Myths About Caesarean Section on Dead Women2. ‘Let No One kill the Mother to Baptise the Baby’3. Caesarean Section on Deceased Women in Medical Texts4. Inheritance5. The Miracle à répit6. ‘A Single Experience Does Not Make a Science’. The “Real” Caesarean Section7. Saving the Heir to a Dynasty8. An Overview of the Late Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries9. Wondrous and Miraculous Caesarean SectionsChapter Seven: The Wonders of the Womb 1. Fantastical Creatures from the Womb: Frogs, Owls, Rats, and Harpies2. Giving Birth to a Monster3. The Role of the Imagination in the Conception of Children4. Leprous Children and Monstrous Children: The Power of Menstrual Blood5. Twin Births6. The Stone BabyChapter Eight: Female Concerns and Prophetic Signs: Pregnancy and the Birth of a Son1. Pregnant?2. Generating a Son3. Will It Be a Boy? Predictive Signs4. The Umbilical Cord, Hair, and the Moon Chapter Nine: After Childbirth: Mother and Child 1. Early Newborn Care2. Feeding a Newborn3. ‘And Fierce Hyrcanian Tigers Gave Thee Suck’: Milk as a Conduit of Essence4. The Wet Nurse5. And Finally… the Blessing of the Puerpera Bibliography Index