A Womb of One's Own : Lost Histories of Childbirth in Ancient Rome.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mulder, Tara.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Midwifery in literature.

Goddesses, Roman.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (372 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

University of California Press 2026

Summary:

A bold new history of women's health and midwifery, brought to life through ancient women's stories of pregnancy and birth. In the well-trod history of the Roman Empire, a pivotal moment has long gone unnoticed: It was in ancient Rome that medical men first set their sights on childbirth, the traditional domain of female midwives. Taking us to the dawn of Western obstetrics, A Womb of One's Own offers a feminist account of how, against a long tradition of midwifery, male doctors began claiming authority in reproductive matters, with an emphasis on theoretical rather than practical knowledge. Their intrusion paved the way for the later criminalization of midwives and the cloaking of childbirth in secrecy and shame. Yet communities of Roman women continued to help each other through the journey from preconception to postpartum, guided by their own experience and the expertise of midwives. Tara Mulder recovers stories of ancient women living and resisting as they sought autonomy over their bodies and their health. Recounting their experiences in vivid, intimate detail, she reveals how old our modern conflicts about birth truly are.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

List of Illustrations

Notes on Herbal and Medical Terminology, Translations, and Dates

Map of the Roman Empire

Introduction

1 . Cyrilla Faints in the Bath

2 . Cyrilla's Flux and Other Fluids

3 . The Self-Observant Women Get Pregnant

4 . Controlling Conception

5 . Corinna Has an Abortion

6 . Pregnancy Problems and Prenatal Care

7 . Petronilla Petitions the Magistrates

8 . The Real Midwives of Ancient Rome

9 . At the Birth

10 . Difficult Birth

11 . After Birth

Afterword

Acknowledgments

Glossary of Herbal and Medical Terms

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Part of the metadata in this record was created by AI, based on the text of the resource.

ISBN:

0-520-39875-0

9780520398757

OCLC:

1584470312