Delivering Knowledge : Jewish Midwives and Hidden Healing in Early Modern Europe / Jordan R. Katz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Katz, Jordan R., author.

Series:

Stanford studies in Jewish history and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Midwives--Europe--History--17th century.

Midwives.

Jewish women--Europe--History--17th century.

Jewish women.

Childbirth--Europe--History--17th century.

Childbirth.

Europe--Ethnic relations--History--17th century.

Europe.

Midwifery--history.

Medical Subjects:

Midwifery--history.

Physical Description:

xviii, 283 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, [2026]

Summary:

"This book offers a new perspective on the history of the early modern Jewish communities by centering the experiences of Jewish midwives. In the wake of the Thirty Years' War, as cities and towns across northern and central Europe placed new emphasis on the regulation of healthcare and childbirth, Jewish midwives stood at the crossroads of tremendous changes in both Jewish communities and the surrounding Christian municipalities. Drawing on previously untapped archival sources, Jordan Katz reveals that Jewish midwives were integral to the expansion of medical bureaucracies, crossing boundaries between genders, between religious communities, and across classes through their work caring for pregnant women and newborn babies. Grounded in rich historical evidence, the book shows how a focus on Jewish midwives illuminates the complex relationship between Jewish communities and local municipalities, showcasing a level of engagement between Jews and Christian civic authorities that has gone unstudied. Through the lens of midwives, this book opens up new understandings of Jewish communal history, the history of women's healing practices, Jewish-Christian relations, and cultures of record in the early modern period."--Back cover.

Contents:

Midwives, Jewish communities, and early modern medical bureaucracies

Jewish childbirth and its stakeholders

Recording birth : Delivery registers, female scribes, and the emergence of vital records

Midwives, illegitimate pregnancies, and paternity suits

Patronage and practice in Sefer ha-noshim : A midwife's Yiddish book

Midwives, Rabbis, and medical-Halakhic expertise.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 241-267) and index.

ISBN:

9781503644106

1503644103

9781503646391

1503646394

OCLC:

1529599506