Reading Birth and Death

Reading Birth and Death
Author: Jo Murphy-Lawless
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 356
Release: 1998
Genre: Obstetrics
ISBN: 9780253212580

"It reveals a belief in the incompetence of women with regard to childbirth and traces the effects on women of such a radically gendered notion. The author argues that the problem of exercising personal agency which women face stems directly from the way the science has worked.".

The Obstetrician's Armamentarium

The Obstetrician's Armamentarium
Author: Bryan M. Hibbard
Publisher: Norman Publishing
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2000
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 9780930405809

"Traces the evolution of obstetric instruments from ancient times to the end of the nineteenth century in Britain, Europe, and America."--Dust jacket.

Medicine, Disease and the State in Ireland, 1650-1940

Medicine, Disease and the State in Ireland, 1650-1940
Author: Greta Jones
Publisher: Cork University Press
Total Pages: 294
Release: 1999
Genre: Disease
ISBN: 9781859181102

A pioneering collection of essays aiming to open up the previously neglected area of the social history of medicine in Ireland.

Ireland and Medicine in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

Ireland and Medicine in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
Author: James Kelly
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2016-05-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317112903

The story of early modern medicine, with its extremes of scientific brilliance and barbaric practice, has long held a fascination for scholars. The great discoveries of Harvey and Jenner sit incongruously with the persistence of Galenic theory, superstition and blood-letting. Yet despite continued research into the period as a whole, most work has focussed on the metropolitan centres of England, Scotland and France, ignoring the huge range of national and regional practice. This collection aims to go some way to rectifying this situation, providing an exploration of the changes and developments in medicine as practised in Ireland and by Irish physicians studying and working abroad during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Bringing together research undertaken into the neglected area of Irish medical and social history across a variety of disciplines, including history of medicine, Colonial Latin American history, Irish, and French history, it builds upon ground-breaking work recently published by several of the contributors, thereby augmenting our understanding of the role of medicine within early modern Irish society and its broader scientific and intellectual networks. By addressing fundamental issues that reach beyond the medical institutions, the collection expands our understanding of Irish medicine and throws new light on medical practices and the broader cultural and social issues of early modern Ireland, Europe, and Latin America. Taking a variety of approaches and sources, ranging from the use of eplistolary exchange to the study of medical receipt books, legislative practice to belief in miracles, local professionalization to international networks, each essay offers a fascinating insight into a still largely neglected area. Furthermore, the collection argues for the importance of widening current research to consider the importance and impact of early Irish medical traditions, networks, and practices, and their interaction with related issues, such as politics, gender, economic demand, and religious belief.

The History of Medications for Women

The History of Medications for Women
Author: M.J. O'Dowd
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 844
Release: 2020-09-10
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1000161536

The first work of its kind, The History of Medications for Women: Materia medica woman is a richly detailed, far-ranging illustrated history of medications for women in all the great cultures and civilizations, from ancient times to the present. Compiled by an acclaimed author of medical history literature, this is the only book that extends from the earliest uses of ergometrine, lettuce, and mummy medicine, through the history of women's medications in ancient Assyria and Egypt, and into the 16th through 20th centuries. With the main sections organized by origin and timeline, the book contains lists of medications used by women from earliest times to the present accompanied by historically-based text. The author includes botanical, chemical, pharmacalogical, and therapeutic details where appropriate, as well as extensive quotations from both contemporary and old, rare books. The text is complemented with the history of obstetrics and gynecology, along with short biographies and illustrations. Additionally, the author presents a unique fund of hard-to-find information in sections devoted to topics such as anesthesia and analgesia, antiseptics, antibiotics and chemotherapy, blood transfusion and Rhesus disease, eclampsia, family planning, menopause, and uterine stimulants. Interesting and thought-provoking, The History of Medications for Women will not only provide an enjoyable read, but will allow you to appreciate the past and look at the future with a new perspective.

The Tragedy of Childbed Fever

The Tragedy of Childbed Fever
Author: Irvine Loudon
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2000-01-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0191542288

Childbed fever was by the far the most common cause of deaths associated with childbirth up to the Second World War throughout Britain and Europe. Otherwise known as puerperal fever, it was an infection which followed childbirth and caused thousands of miserable and agonising deaths every year. This book provides the first comprehensive account of this tragic disease from its recognition in the eighteenth century up to the second half of the twentieth century. Examining this within a broad history of infective diseases, the author goes on to explore ideas from past debates about the nature of infectious diseases and contagion, the discovery of bacteria and antisepsis, and charts the complicated path which led to the discovery of antibiotics. The large majority of deaths from puerperal fever were due to one micro-organism known as Streptococcus pyogenes, and the last chapter presents valuable new ideas on the nature and epidemiology of streptococcal disease up to the present day.