Birth Chairs, Midwives, and Medicine

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Reference, History, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Women&
Cover of the book Birth Chairs, Midwives, and Medicine by Amanda Carson Banks, University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Amanda Carson Banks ISBN: 9781604735949
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: November 8, 1999
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author: Amanda Carson Banks
ISBN: 9781604735949
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: November 8, 1999
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

There was a time when birth was treated as a natural process rather than a medical condition. Before 1800, women gave birth seated in birth chairs or on stools and were helped along by midwives. Then societal changes in attitudes toward women and the practice of medicine made birthing a province of the male-dominated medical profession.

In Birth Chairs, Midwives, and Medicine, Amanda Carson Banks examines the history of the birth chair and tells how this birthing device changed over time. Through photographs, artists' renditions of births, interviews, and texts from midwives and early obstetricians, she creates an evolutionary picture of birthing practices and highlights the radical redefinition of birth that has occurred in the last two centuries.

During the 1800s the change from a natural philosophy of birth to a medical one was partly a result of heightened understandings of anatomy and physiology. The medical profession was growing, and with it grew the awareness of the economic rewards of making delivery a specialized practice. In the background of the medical profession's rise was the prevailing perception of women as fragile invalids. Gradually, midwives and birth chairs were relegated to rural and isolated settings.

The popularity of birth chairs has seen a revival in the late twentieth century as the struggle between medical obstetrics and the alternative birth movement has grown. As Banks shows through her careful examination of the chairs themselves, these questions have been answered and reconsidered many times in human history. Using the artifacts from the home and medical office, Banks traces sweeping societal changes in the philosophy of how to bring life into the world.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

There was a time when birth was treated as a natural process rather than a medical condition. Before 1800, women gave birth seated in birth chairs or on stools and were helped along by midwives. Then societal changes in attitudes toward women and the practice of medicine made birthing a province of the male-dominated medical profession.

In Birth Chairs, Midwives, and Medicine, Amanda Carson Banks examines the history of the birth chair and tells how this birthing device changed over time. Through photographs, artists' renditions of births, interviews, and texts from midwives and early obstetricians, she creates an evolutionary picture of birthing practices and highlights the radical redefinition of birth that has occurred in the last two centuries.

During the 1800s the change from a natural philosophy of birth to a medical one was partly a result of heightened understandings of anatomy and physiology. The medical profession was growing, and with it grew the awareness of the economic rewards of making delivery a specialized practice. In the background of the medical profession's rise was the prevailing perception of women as fragile invalids. Gradually, midwives and birth chairs were relegated to rural and isolated settings.

The popularity of birth chairs has seen a revival in the late twentieth century as the struggle between medical obstetrics and the alternative birth movement has grown. As Banks shows through her careful examination of the chairs themselves, these questions have been answered and reconsidered many times in human history. Using the artifacts from the home and medical office, Banks traces sweeping societal changes in the philosophy of how to bring life into the world.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book The Survival of Soap Opera by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Stable Views by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Selected Letters of Katherine Anne Porter by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Ain't There No More by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Mississippi Black History Makers by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Jennie Carter by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Resorting to Casinos by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Searching for the New Black Man by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Civil War Humor by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book David L. Jordan by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Cross the Water Blues by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Jim Shooter by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book We Go Pogo by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Quincy Jones by Amanda Carson Banks
Cover of the book Dangerous Curves by Amanda Carson Banks
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy